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Police departments and their neighboring
fire stations can have a bit of a brotherly relationship, said policeman Matt
Owens. There’s a lot of teasing and some sibling rivalry, but at the end of the
day, they’re all on the same team, trying to protect and serve. Matt and his
younger brother, Terry Owens, a firefighter/paramedic, know this dynamic all
too well. They may not share a room anymore, but they do share the same
jurisdiction as Arlington first responders.
Matt and Terry, the third and fourth of
a family of four boys, moved to Northern Virginia when their father retired from
the U.S. Coast Guard. Matt graduated from Woodson High School in Fairfax, and
Terry, seven years his junior, later followed. At the time, neither saw
themselves fighting crime or fires in the near future.
Matt, a parishioner of St. Mary of
Sorrows Church in Fairfax, graduated from Florida State University in
Tallahassee with a degree in trumpet performance and musical education, and
worked as professional musician for a while. Terry graduated from Christopher
Newport University in Newport News and worked in the environmental science
field. “I thought I was going to save the world that way,” he said.
But with a father who served in the
military and a mother who worked as an emergency room nurse, public service was
never too far from their minds. “We knew the lifestyles we were getting
ourselves into,” said Terry, a parishioner of Church of the Nativity in Burke.
Matt served as a volunteer firefighter
for a time, “but I’m not a big fan of heights or fire,” he said, and later
decided to become a police officer. Police work is “definitely more of a
calling.”
Terry, too, re-evaluated his career
after a few years. “I came to the realization, as clichéd as this may sound,
that the only thing that really made me happy was helping people,” he said. “I
went to the fire training academy and haven't looked back since.”
Both men enjoy the chances they have to
help people in trouble, whether it’s a driver broken down on the side of the
road or someone experiencing a health crisis. Terry still receives birthday
pictures of a little boy he treated as a baby. “It's a cool feeling knowing
that there is someone out there that is growing up completely fine because of
what we do,” he said.
Their jobs have given the brothers some
exciting opportunities and chances for collaboration. Matt joined the force
several years before Terry, and shortly afterward Terry became a firefighter,
Matt remembers responding to a call late at night, and seeing his brother
already there performing CPR. More recently, Matt was on duty when he met
President Barack Obama on the golf course.
The Owens also snagged a photo with the newest
celebrity in Washington— the Stanley Cup. While he was shift supervisor, Matt
received a call from the department’s restaurant liaison officer, who said the
Washington Capitals hockey players were coming to a bar in Clarendon and needed
backup.
Matt arrived in time to help escort the
cup and Forward Tom Wilson to the rooftop bar. In the elevator, he took a quick
photo.
“I’m not going to lie, it was probably
my best career selfie in 16 years,” said Matt. He sent to it Terry, who came to
get a picture, too.
The men also use their talents to serve
the church. Matt’s children attend St. Mary preschool, and for a few years the
brothers have given safety talks to the preschoolers. Matt occasionally plays
his trumpet for the choir at the Cathedral of St Thomas More in Arlington.
The men agree that their Catholic faith
is what enables them to come to work day after day. “It really does ground us,”
said Terry. “We see a lot of things that can really upset you and there are
ways to deal with it — some of them are healthy and some of them are not.
Having that family structure at home and having the stability that the church
cultivates really provides a healthy environment for us.”
“The stuff that I’ve seen, the stuff
that I’ve been exposed to, without a sense of God and faith and purpose behind
all this, I’m not sure I would still be doing this job,” said Matt. Father
Robert J. Rippy, police chaplain and cathedral rector, is a great source of
comfort and support for him and all the men, he said.
Matt’s hectic schedule can make it
difficult to get to Mass on Sunday, but even on the job he’s close to God, he
said. It’s not unusual for him to send up a prayer as he switches the sirens
on.