Meet Fire Marshall Welborn

Meet Casey Welborn. He was Lieutenant and was recently promoted to Fire Marshal. Casey was born in Colorado. When he was just three years old, his father, having been from Denton, decided to move his family back home. They settled in Sanger, and Casey has called Sanger home ever since.

Welborn graduated from Sanger High School in 1995. He married his wife, Tammy, in May of 1998. They have four boys Ryan (30), Dillon (25), Griffin (21), and Talyn (19). And two grandsons (age 5 and 2). The Welborns are a very close family. His three oldest children all reside in Sanger and Talyn, currently away at college, looks forward to graduation so he can move back home.

I asked Casey if he always knew he wanted to be a fireman. Most people might find it a strange profession considering his father was a Police Officer in Denton County. Finding out that he was passionate about public service, firefighting, in particular, was a bit of an accident.

Welborn was very passionate about playing baseball. While away at college, he got hurt and was unable to play. For him, the absence of baseball in his life made college less than appealing.

He was home visiting and attending a football game where he found himself wrapped in conversation with his uncle, the Chief of the Volunteer FD in Sanger at the time, who sensed Casey might have been struggling with his future, and suggested that he should volunteer

with the FD. From his first volunteer day, he fell in love with firefighting.

It would be 6 years before Welborn would join the Sanger Fire Department as paid staff. He served as a volunteer on his off days of working for a private ambulance company as a paramedic. When the position opened for a fulltime firefighter/paramedic, he applied and got the job. Since then, Casey has obtained multiple certifications.

He started with Driver, Instructor, Fire Officer, Inspector, Command & Control, and Plans Examiner.

It may seem like a natural progression for Casey to now be the City’s, Fire Marshal. However, it wasn’t a role that he actively sought out. Casey loves the operations side of the job. Being in the field and leading his team gives him the greatest pleasure. However, the most important thing for Welborn is the growth of the Sanger FD. The FD needed an onsite, 8 AM – 5 PM Fire Marshal. When Chief Pennington approached Casey about the position, his respect for Chief and his love for the Sanger FD, made the decision an easy one. He still gets to go out into the field for large events so, for him, he is living the best of both worlds.

So, what is next for Fire Marshal Welborn? With the I35 expansion project, more growth is expected. He plans to continue his career through retirement serving the residents and visitors of Sanger. Additionally, he would like to see the addition of one, possibly two new fire stations down the line.

What about his plans for ten years and beyond? For Casey, family is everything. He fully expects that he and his wife will stay right here in Sanger. Having the grandbabies close by is not something he is ever willing to give up.