After 30 Years, Owings Mills Firefighter Not Ready To Hang It Up

The edges of Baltimore County Fire Lt. William H. Reter II's mouth curl up ever so slightly under his thick salt-and-pepper mustache when he talks about the inherent fellowship of being a firefighter.

"We're closer (to other firefighers) at the station than we are at home," Reter said. "We see each other more than our spouse."

That simple fact often takes a toll on the personal lives of firefighters like Reter, who said he divorced in part because of the many days and nights he would have to spend at the firehouse, waiting for an alarm to sound. County firefighters work two consecutive 10-hour days followed by two consecutive 14-hour night shifts.

But if the 53-year-old regretted the personal sacrifice he made to be a firefighter, he didn't betray that fact in speech or appearance.

Instead Reter, who other firefighters call “H,” stood smiling and apparently proud as Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and fire Chief John J. Hohman presented Reter with a pin commemorating 30 years of service as a Baltimore County firefighter.

Kamenetz didn’t make it easy on the veteran firefighter, quizzing Reter on which county executives he had served under in a 30-year career. Reter couldn’t name one.

“H is worried about fires, not politics,” said Michael K. Day Sr., president of the Baltimore County Professional Fire Fighters Association, who also received recognition for his 25 years of service Tuesday.

After touring Kamenetz around Station 19 in Owings Mills, Reter seemed proud of his longevity and the career path he chose.

"The fire department’s unique,” Reter said. “We’re like a big family.”

It was family that got Reter interested in a career as a firefighter in the first place. His uncle was a forest ranger, Reter said, which gave him the chance to “get some knowledge” about firefighting.

The Carroll County resident grew up in northwest Baltimore County, where he was first a junior firefighter and then joined the Reisterstown Volunteer Fire Company as a teen.

By November 1980, Reter had joined the Baltimore County Fire Department and was on his way to a career that spanned five county stations before settling in Owings Mills in 1995.

In each of his 30 years, Reter has worked holidays and been forced to stay overnight at the station during inclement weather, like when snowstorms hit that might prevent a firefighter from traveling to the station from home.

Through it all, he said, he doesn’t complain.

“A lot of things...you kind of have to understand, it comes with the job,” Reter said.

As for how many years H has left in him, Reter said he would call it a career in a few more years.

“This is a young man’s occupation. You do need the older people for knowledge,” said Reter, who laughed before finishing. 

It’s the young guys, he added, who are needed for the dirty work.