Fire Chief, Bill Neill saw real potential in this young man and hired Jerry as a full-time career firefighter in 1979, he was 20 years old.
For the next 34 years Jerry dedicated his life to the fire service and excelled up the career ladder to the rank of Battalion Chief before his retirement in 2012. Battalion Chief Magan also held certifications with the State of Texas as an EMT and law enforcement officer. He was here in the infancy of The Woodlands Fire Department before there was even a fire station. WFD had two commercial trailers and a shed that housed the fire crews, dispatch office, and fire trucks. The first fire station for Woodlands was built on Grogans Mill Rd and dedicated in 1980. It was replaced with a new Central Fire Station in early 2013. When Battalion Chief Magan retired, Woodlands had grown from a couple of trailers and a shed parked on the shoulder of Grogans Mill Rd to eight modern fire stations and a full service Fire Training Center.
Supporting Chief Magan through his career in the fire service is his wife Donna, sons Jason and Louis, and daughter Ashley. He was a loving father and dad, and dotted on his grandchildren. Jerry was a really special guy that mentored dozens of new rookie firefighters over the years. He was a friend to everyone he met and was often sought out for his sound, straight-forward wisdom. Jerry was 58 years old.
