Road Warrior

​By Brandon Benoit '26
​In the fire service, there’s a saying “Everyone runs out, we run in.” For one member of the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department, running in is only the beginning.

​Tim Ruppar wears many uniforms. In the United States Army and the United States Air Force, he is a firefighter forged in discipline. With the Connecticut State Police (CTSP), he serves as a patrol sergeant and is an investigator for the Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit (FEIU). But in the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD), most see him as a mentor, the kind of person who proves this job is more than just work. It’s a calling.

​“I think it takes a certain individual,” Ruppar said. “You can learn along the way, but I think you’re born with it. It’s a calling.”

​Long before he ever wore a CTSP badge, Ruppar built his life in the Army. That is where he developed what firefighters call the “triple threat” skill of grit, medicine, and rescue. Even after two decades on the job, he still sees firefighting as something more than just work.

​“It’s a selfless service,” he explained. “You’re putting the needs of others ahead of your own. It takes a certain type of individual to step aside and realize that [the community's] needs are more important than my needs, especially when it comes to life and death situations.”

​From military training with the Air Force to responding to motor vehicle accidents back home on I-91, Ruppar demonstrates the importance of standing sharp under pressure and putting others first.

​During his time training at Goodfellow Air Force Base, he stood out among his peers and earned recognition as a Student of the Month, a sign of the work ethic and discipline that would continue to define his career.

​As time went on, his role shifted. He went from being the one learning the job to the one teaching it. After spending years involved in the cadet program, he now helps guide probationary firefighters who are just getting started.

​“I enjoy teaching younger firefighters as they move up through the ranks,” he said. “The cadet program really set me up for that.”

​His work with the CTSP Fire and Explosive Investigation Unit brings a different kind of intensity. It’s quieter than the fireground, but the stakes are much higher. He is the person walking into burned buildings after the flames are out, trying to figure out how it all started. He is the one walking towards the suspicious package while the world is pushed back.

​There is zero room for mistakes in his line of work.

​He also makes sure his family sees the importance of the work. “I feel like showing them the ‘why’ of why I do this is important,” Ruppar said. “It opened the door [for my son] and he saw what it meant to me.”

​Around the department, he is known affectionately as "Timmy.” But titles aside--soldier, investigator, firefighter--that's not what truly defines him.

​What defines him is simple. He shows up. He puts everyone else before himself. And he makes sure the next generation is ready to do the same.

​“You have to be that sponge,” he said. “You have to soak up everything around you. Learn from the most senior guys that are out there. You wanna be able to learn from the good and learn from the bad, that’s what makes a great leader.”
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​He shows up because when the world starts to burn, someone has to stand up and put it out.

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