East Texas fire chief retires after more than 50 years of service

MOUNT PLEASANT (KETK) — After decades of battling fires and keeping his community safe, an East Texan fire chief announced on Thursday that he’s hanging up his helmet and retiring.

The fire department said Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Larry McRae has officially resigned from the position, concluding a 50-year, dedicated commitment to the city and residents across Titus County.

McRae first began working with the city in 1976 as a volunteer firefighter before rising to the rank of fire chief in 1984. Since then, he’s led the fire department for over forty years and through more than 10,000 calls, never missing a beat and being the glue that holds the department together.

The fire department says McRae was inspired to become a firefighter when he was in high school.

“He was working at an Exxon service station and had lots of volunteer firefighters as customers,” the fire department said in a dedicated social media post to McRae in 2025. “Just hearing them talk about being volunteer firefighters excited Chief McRae and he knew exactly what he wanted to do. His advice for future firefighters is to always be willing to put in the effort and have a servant’s heart!”

As the city prepares posting for the fire chief position soon, Deputy Chief Aristeo Rodriguez has been named the acting fire chief in the meantime. Rodriguez has worked with the department for the past 27 years.