“You never know how broad your circle of influence is. Always look for opportunities to be a positive influence for others.”

Battalion Chief Michael Anderson

Why did you become a firefighter?

Battalion Chief Michael Anderson of Pflugerville Fire Department (TX) has had the fire service in his life for as long as he can remember. His aunt and uncle were both firefighters since before Anderson was born. By age two, he was riding around in the front seat of his uncle’s Chief car responding to 911 calls.

Once he was old enough, Anderson became a volunteer firefighter for Marble Falls Area VFD (TX). After learning that Marble Falls was planning to hire firefighters, Anderson went to Fire Academy to prepare for the job openings. In 2000, he earned a position at nearby Pflugerville Fire Department.

Today, Chief Anderson is in his 21st year of serving his community with the Pflugerville Fire Department, protecting the more than 135,000 people in the community he serves.

What do you enjoy the most about the fire service?

“I definitely like helping others and providing a service to the community. But that’s almost a prerequisite for becoming a firefighter,” Chief Anderson pointed out.

What he enjoys the most about firefighting is working together with his colleagues and seeing each individual working proficiently to deliver the best service possible.

“My favorite part of firefighting is seeing everyone come together to be involved in the action when it’s our ‘playoffs’ time.”

Chief Anderson

From the back-end administration to the crew on-scene, everyone plays a crucial role in taking care of the people in need and mitigating the emergency as quickly as possible.

What advice do you have for other firefighters?

“Never stop learning and putting effort into your craft.”

Chief Anderson

Chief Anderson brought up a saying which is well-known throughout the fire service, “you can never learn too much about that which can kill you.” It’s crucial that firefighters keep this in mind when training. There is never a point at which a firefighter can sit back and rest on his or her laurels.

“The fire service is demanding and will change many times throughout our career,” Chief Anderson knows from his 21 years on the job. “We owe it to ourselves to be able to adjust to those changes. And we need to take care of ourselves to ensure that we can deliver the best service to our communities.”

Beyond preparedness in addressing the community, young colleagues in the fire service can be very impressionable. Veteran firefighters set an example for rookies with their actions and inactions. “You never know how broad your circle of influence is. Always look for opportunities to be a positive influence for others,” Chief Anderson encourages veteran firefighters.

What changes do you foresee in the fire service?

With more technology, research, and educational information available to firefighters than ever before, Chief Anderson believes that the biggest changes will come from leveraging these tools.

Because some firefighters are resistant to these technological changes to the fire service, there will need to be fire service leaders who emerge to guide the fire service through this shift. Their responsibility will be to keep the fire service moving forward in a positive direction without allowing the changes to become too controversial or divisive.

“The national governing bodies in the fire service need to make sure everyone knows how this tech and info is applicable and how to best leverage it to improve safety and efficacy of the services we provide,” Chief Anderson stated.

Pflugerville, TX does not often receive snow, but it happened in 2005. After responding to a call in the middle of the night, Anderson and his crew returned to the station at 0300.

Knowing that this opportunity was not one to pass up, the crew got to work building snowmen, fortresses, and — most importantly — an arsenal of snowballs. After a hard-fought intra-shift snowball battle, Anderson knew it was time to end the war for good.

There was one snowball — more like a snow-cannonball — that could end the battle, if they calculated the launch angle and speed just right. Anderson and his comrades looked to each other and they were on the same page — it was on.

After taking the wind and curvature of the earth into account, his teammate launched it.

The giant snowball went soaring through the air. Slowly. Methodically. Accurately.

After what felt like an eternity, it landed. Direct hit!

One of the opposing snowballers, got it right in the nose. The bullseye was followed up with a profuse nosebleed. The battle was over and the war was won. Since that fateful day, Anderson and his comrades have held onto their victory for more than a decade.

Chief Anderson is prepared to defend his title. A recent snowstorm brought in 6″ of early snowfall in Pflugerville so this might be the year!

Chief Anderson shared that story to highlight one of many great memories he’s made with his crew. He was sure to mention that he’s been surrounded by great people throughout his career. These individuals from all ranks are committed to making their department and the entire fire service better.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the people and what they do to make the organization and the service better.”

Battalion Chief Michael Anderson

If you’d like to learn more about Chief Anderson, you can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram (@mightymouse291). He also provided his email in case you’d like to reach out to him directly: manderson@pflugervillefire.org.