Evanston firefighters Michael Adam and David Ellis retired earlier this week after more than 30 years of service each.

“They were both here for quite a while,” Division Chief Dwight Hohl said. “It shows just how dedicated they were and that they enjoyed what they were doing.”

The retirements went into effect Tuesday, according to the Evanston fire department. Adam, a captain, became a firefighter in January 1975 and has served for 38 years. Ellis started in July 1979 and leaves after 34 years as a firefighter and paramedic.

Both men completed their careers at Evanston Station 2, 702 Madison St. Tom Howard, a firefighter at the same station, said he admired Adam and Ellis.

“They were both very experienced,” he said. “They had a good sense of humor. … The younger guys looked up to them.”

Firefighters recalled the almost 20-year period when the retirees served on the same shift, with Adam as captain and Ellis as driver. Firefighter Kevin Roche, who also worked on their shift, said the two were some of the first on scene of a well-known fire several years ago at a high-rise building at 1603 Orrington Ave.

Due to their work and the danger they faced, Roche said, they helped to jumpstart new protocols taken to tackle fires and prevent damage. They were also well-known supporters of the firefighters’ union. He said they made a “good team.”

Fellow firefighters knew Adam by the nickname “Animal,” which he went by since high school. Roche said Adam was the best cook at the station, as well as a skilled carpenter. Roche said Adam, 64, was committed to firefighting for his whole life.

Roche called Ellis a “master mechanic,” who was always fixing parts on the fire trucks.

“He always has motor oil underneath his fingernails, for 40 years,” Roche said, laughing.

Roche also said Ellis was a “rock n’ roll Shazam,” a reference to the iPhone app that identifies songs. A lifelong resident of Evanston, Ellis was credited with creating the Evanston Firefighters Foreign Fire Tax Board, which uses money from a tax on out-of-state insurance companies to benefit firefighters.

Adam’s and Ellis’ coworkers were treated to stories of when they were the two of the first paramedics in Evanston, when the trucks didn’t even have air bags. Aside from their friendliness, the veterans were respected for the lengths they went to for their careers.

“They were both phenomenal people to work with,” Roche said. “They made my future job easier by the things they pioneered.”

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