Coming in hot; father and sons working with fire
Wyatt (left) and Cole Gwyn (right) pose with their dad Dennis (middle).
Most dads teach their kids to stay away from fire, but Canyon Fire Chief Dennis Gwyn isn’t most dads. During his more than 30 years as a volunteer and full-time firefighter, fire marshal, and department chief, Dennis faced fires regularly while raising his twin sons Wyatt and Cole.
“My brother and I grew up constantly around the station in Canyon,” Cole said. “In fact, some of the earliest memories I have involve sitting in dispatch during calls and running around the station.”
“Our dad had a job that every kid thought was cool,” Wyatt said. “Now as an adult, I see it is a very noble cause, especially to be a volunteer firefighter like my dad was.”
Firefighters often say the people they work with are family, but it’s literally true for the Gwyns.
“I enjoy being on scene with my dad as a volunteer firefighter,” Cole said. “I will never forget the first fire I worked with him. I arrived on scene to him being on a hose line by himself. I backed him up on the line, and remember the happy look on his face when he turned around and saw it was me.”
Cole backed up his dad on the firehose, but there must have been something in the water, because Wyatt also chose a career using science and technology to protect people and properties from fires.
Cole works as a Pantex Emergency Services firefighter and paramedic. He responds to emergencies at the plant and in surrounding communities covered in the site’s mutual aid agreement.
Wyatt is a Pantex fire protection engineer responsible for ensuring facilities remain compliant with fire codes. This includes doing yearly walkdowns of facilities, updating the fire hazards analysis, addressing system and facility issues, and ensuring fire suppression and alarm systems will activate in the event of a fire.
Wyatt is in prevention, Cole is in response, and Dennis is a proud dad.
“I am here to make sure through analysis and codes that life, property, and the public are protected in the event of a fire,” Wyatt said. “My dad was my inspiration to get into the realm of fire safety ever since he was a deputy fire marshal for Amarillo.”
“There is not a workday that I wake up and dread going to work,” Cole said. “I enjoy working here at Pantex and volunteering in Canyon. It is great getting to serve with those who watched me grow up, and getting to know the newer members of the department.”
Cole and Wyatt not only followed in their dad’s professional footsteps, but also in their personal lives as caring fathers to their own children. Dennis said he and his wife are thankful for the successful men Wyatt and Cole are, but more so their ability to be loving fathers to their own families. Growing up, Dennis encouraged his sons to put family first and find a career they enjoyed.
“We all hope our children find a career that they enjoy and are successful at,” Dennis said. “With both sons choosing fire services, it does give me a sense of pride that they followed in my footsteps — but we would feel the same no matter what careers they chose.”