Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Michael Phillips was swept away while responding to flash flooding along Cow Creek last Saturday.
MARBLE FALLS, Texas — On Friday night, family, community members and firefighters paid tribute to a missing Marble Falls Fire Chief.
Fire Chief Michael Phillips of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department was swept away by floodwaters while responding to an emergency call in Cow Creek.
The Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department held a vigil for Phillips on Friday night.
“I don’t know what to say,” Marble Falls Fire Captain Thomas Jacobs said. “This man, this legend left a hole in this world.”
Phillips, who went missing early Saturday, was last seen driving an emergency vehicle during a rescue operation amid severe flooding that has devastated Central Texas.
The vehicle was located about two miles away, but Phillips was not found with it, prompting an extensive search by local authorities and emergency responders.
“I hope everybody here is celebrating, because he wouldn’t want you to be sad,” Former Assistant Chief George Tennison said. “He went out doing what he loved to do.”
Tennison reflected on his time working alongside Phillips.
“I remember every day that we were tired coming off calls and stuff, he would just look at me and go just keep putting one foot in front of the other and let’s go,” Tennison said. “The community needs us.”
Phillips – who has volunteered as fire chief since 1995, according to his Facebook profile – was responding to a call related to the same weather event that has killed dozens of people across Central Texas.
Captain Cole Davis remembered Phillips as someone who was deeply committed to serving his community.
“Mike was a good person. He led me up from when I first started the department to where I am now. He was an awesome leader,” Davis said. “He was there for you. He was always the first one in, and he was the last one out. When leaving the scene, he sat there and waited until every one of his guys left the scene before he cleared.”
A fire truck parked outside the Marble Falls Fire Station has become a gathering place for people to pay their respects to the fire chief with flowers and candles. His helmet sits on the dashboard of a firetruck.
“He was a dear friend, a beautiful person, a loving person and was always ready to help,” Angie Martinez said.
Martinez got to know Phillips over the last 10 to 12 years through her work with ARK of Highland Lakes.
Martinez said she remembers his beautiful smile.
“All I can see is his beautiful smile because anytime you came up to him, he was always smiling,” Martinez said. “He always had a joke.”
It is a smile that still radiates.
“He’s still with us, and he’ll be with us the rest of our lives,” Tennison said. “He lives in our hearts.”
Martinez said whenever people saw Phillips, his joy was infectious.
“Even in the fires, it’s a serious thing, but he had a smile,” Martinez said. “He was a calm, collected person.”
The family, department and community are all devastated by what happened to Phillips, but they made clear on Friday that they are grateful for the outpouring of support.
“It is a big loss,” Martinez said. “You can replace material stuff, but you can’t replace a life and a person like he was. He will definitely be greatly, greatly missed.”
Search teams continue to comb areas of Burnet County in search of Phillips, the only person still missing in the county after floodwater swept through the region over the weekend. Search efforts have been exacerbated by continuing rainfall that has damaged roads and made it difficult for search parties to canvas low-lying areas around the area.
Officials said that a variety of search methods, including boats, helicopters and ATVs, have been used. Some low-water crossings and bridges will still need to be repaired before all areas in the county are accessible to emergency crews.