It’s been nearly 30 years since Brian Lawrence decided to give up “boxing buns” in a bakery, take a pay cut and start riding in an ambulance to medical emergencies and car wrecks.

“I don’t know why I did it, but it just seemed like it would be an interesting job,” Lawrence said.

Tuesday will be Lawrence’s last day before he retires as a battalion chief with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical.

Lawrence, 49, left a Hutchinson bakery to go into the emergency medical field in 1973 when Reno County started its ambulance service.

Lawrence and others with the service received medical training before the state required such training. When the mandate was made, Lawrence was one of a few in Kansas deemed already to have adequate medical training.

In 1977, Lawrence took a job as medical training officer with Douglas County Ambulance Service. He was the first paramedic hired by Ted McFarlane, former head of DCAS and now Johnson County Med-Act EMS director.

“I was in training for a lot of years and I trained a lot of law enforcement officers and first responders here,” Lawrence said. “I got a lot of satisfaction from sending people out who would be able to help others.”

Lawrence later became operations director with the ambulance service and a field supervisor. In 1997 the ambulance service merged with the Lawrence Fire Department to become the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical service it is today. At the time, Lawrence had to be trained in fire suppression.

“It was an adjustment, but it was an adjustment on both sides,” he said. “We all worked together.”

Lawrence served six months as the interim deputy chief before Mark Bradford was hired for the job in February 2001. Fire & Medical Chief Jim McSwain said he wanted Lawrence as his interim deputy because of his ability to stay calm and deal with problems.

“He is very cool when times are hot, so to speak,” McSwain said. “He doesn’t get rattled.”

Lawrence said he enjoyed the challenge the job brought.

“There’s something different every day,” he said. “The downside is you always see people during their worst experiences. The worst part for us is seeing the kids like that.”

Lawrence said he wasn’t sure what he would do after retirement but added that he was exploring options. He does intend to play more golf.

A reception for Lawrence will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. today in the training room at Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Station No. 1, 746 Ky.