Taylorsville Fire Marshal Tom Smolka has been on the job for SLCFD and UFA for a half-century
Feb 04, 2025 10:14AM ● By Carl Fauver
Fifty-year fire department employee Tom Smolka (L) was recently honored for his service by Unified Fire Authority Fire Marshal Brad Larson (R) and the rest of the agency. Shortly thereafter, Larson announced his own retirement after a nearly-as-long career of 39 years. (Photo courtesy Unified Fire Authority)
When Tom Smolka graduated from Salt Lake’s West High School (1966), the Beatles were still playing live concerts.
When Smolka began working for the Salt Lake County Fire Department (1974), our country was in political turmoil. Six weeks earlier Richard Nixon had become the first President of the United States to resign.
The Beatles and “Tricky Dick” are long gone. For that matter, so too is the Salt Lake County Fire Department. But Smolka, now 75, has never stopped clocking in. The county’s firefighting agency was rebranded as Unified Fire Authority. But Smolka never skipped a beat.
“As a boy, I worked with my father at a Salt Lake meat plant,” Smolka said. “I quickly learned I wanted to do something with more variety, and something more outdoors. For a long time I thought I might go into law enforcement. But then a cousin who was a firefighter began talking with me about his career. I was hired by the Salt Lake County Fire Department on Sept. 16, 1974, and the rest is history.”
So much history, in fact, UFA has officially branded Smolka’s accomplishment “historic.” They claim no one else has ever worked 50 years for SLCFD/UFA.
By the way, between that West High graduation and his first day of SLCFD training, Smolka did earn an associate’s degree at Dixie College (also gone, now Utah Tech University) in St. George. That was followed by a University of Utah diploma. But despite securing his degree in accounting and finance, Smolka may not have learned everything he needed to know about money.
“I have built up so much of a retirement that, for the past couple of years, it has actually cost me money to remain on the job,” Smolka explains. “My retirement income will be a little higher than what I now earn. But I enjoy my job. I like helping people. So I’m still here.”
Just a few years into his firefighting career, in 1980, Smolka received paramedic training. He worked in that role from 1980 to 2002. Midway through that portion of his career, in 1990, Smolka was assigned to work out of what was then the brand-new fire station near 5400 S. 2700 West. UFA Station 118 is now often referred to as “the one next door to Taylorsville City Hall.” But, back then, it was in place – with Smolka working there – several years before Taylorsville was incorporated and more than a decade before city hall was built.
By the time the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games rolled around, Smolka says he was tired of all the “blood and guts and late nights” of being a paramedic. When a position opened up in the SLCFD Fire Protection Division, Smolka applied and made the move.
Two years later, in 2004, Salt Lake County Fire Department officially became Unified Fire Authority.
Smolka’s official title now is area fire marshal. He’s a regular fixture at Taylorsville City Hall, where he works closely with the city’s zoning and building authorities. On large construction projects such as the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center or the Taylorsville Temple, Smolka is involved from the time plans are first put on paper through the eventual ribbon cutting.
With Smolka nearly every step of his half-century career has been wife Sherilyn, who he wed in early July nearly 48 years ago (7-7-77). The couple share five children, 14 grandkids and 12 great grandkids.
Late last year, Unified Fire Authority honored Smolka at an awards ceremony for his 50 years of service.
“It was such a wonderful banquet – terrific honor,” Smolka said. “It was the first time all five of my children were together in a long time. That night meant so much to me and my family.”
Among those offering tributes to Smolka that night was his supervisor, Fire Marshal Brad Larson. Just a few weeks later, Larson himself retired after 39 years on the job.
“Tom is phenomenal, taking such pride and ownership in what he does for Taylorsville and other communities,” Larson said. “He has such great knowledge about what he’s doing. And Tom’s customer service is unmatched. He understands time is money for business owners. If they need an inspection or an application approval, he always helps with what they need as quickly as possible.”
Taylorsville Mayor Kristie Overson is equally impressed with how valuable Smolka is to her city.
“I just saw Tom again in our (city hall) break room (the first week after New Years) and there he was, on the job again,” she said. “I thought ‘this guy is just incredible.’ He’s so fast and efficient in what he does for Taylorsville. I think he’s a great reflection of the priorities our entire permit and license departments have. We want to serve our community quickly. Tom Smolka fits in with that goal perfectly.”
Smolka says this year may finally be his retirement year; but he’s not yet certain.
Until he finally does make that move, Smolka will continue to lose a little money out of each UFA paycheck. His old U of U finance professors would probably roll their eyes. But, like the Beatles, Nixon, Dixie College and SLCFD, they too are now gone. λ