“I’ve never seen a better medicine than kindness.”

Captain Drew Neal

Why did you initially become a firefighter?

Captain Drew Neal, Hutto Fire Rescue (TX), always knew he wanted to help others but he wasn’t sure how he would go about it. When he turned 16, he knew the answer: firefighting.

Hutto, TX is a small town located just north of Austin. When Captain Neal was growing up, he would see the town’s firefighters throughout the community and he wanted to join them. Since he was too young to begin working at the time, he would just go to the station and hang out with the crews.

“Seeing the firefighters flip the switch from joking and having fun to racing to help others in a professional manner when the calls came in really impressed me,” Captain Neal recalls.

Neal was sworn in with Hutto Fire Rescue as soon as he turned 18. He graduated high school a few months later and then went straight to fire school.

Today he is the Training Captain for his department, he’s certified in Crisis Incident Stress Management, and he’s working on earning a dual Associate’s Degree in Fire Science and Fire Administration.

What advice do you have for other firefighters?

The most important lesson that Captain Neal learned from his mentors in the fire service is to be kind.

In addition to embracing kindness, Captain Neal encourages other firefighters to focus on the short-term and have healthy self-confidence.

“Take this job one day at a time.”

“As firefighters, we have a need to solve all of the problems we see,” Captain Neal stated. “Take a breath, enjoy the day, and work on the things you CAN change. Don’t waste energy on the things you can’t change.”

“Don’t be afraid to be the youngest person in the room.”

Because he excelled in his career so quickly, Captain Neal has been the youngest person in the room for most of his career. By preparing himself educationally and carrying himself with a healthy level of confidence, Captain Neal has proved himself to be an equal contributor among his older colleagues in the fire service.

What changes do you foresee?

The old school is meeting the new school.

As someone who was brought up in the old school ways, Neal is not looking to push tradition to the side. To him, it’s not one or the other.

“I’d like to see a hybrid of the old and new ways to create the most effective and safest environment possible,” Captain Neal stated.

He believes that aggressive firefighting is just as important as increased safety and risk awareness.

“The new and old schools of thought can compliment each other to achieve a more tactically diverse fire service while making sure we do our best to send everyone home alive,” Captain Neal pointed out.

When Neal joined Hutto Fire Rescue as a volunteer firefighter in 2006, his mentors were tough, salty guys who didn’t explicitly tell him the importance of kindness. Instead, they taught him with their actions that being kind is the best thing a person can do.

“Any ounce of success I have achieved in my career is thanks to kindness from other firefighters.”

Throughout his 15-year career, Captain Neal has always excelled the most when he’s receiving or giving kindness.

“We see and deal with a lot of nasty things in the job. We encounter a lot of different personalities. We respond to people on the worst day of their lives.” Captain Neal shared, “I’ve never seen a better medicine than kindness.”