Job Talk: November's Story

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Hero's Name: Retired Career Firefighter Dick R.

I jokingly refer to my hometown Fire Department as the "family business".

My story begins in or around 1919 when my father joined the Department as a volunteer. Our community is small and the Department was all volunteer until the mid-1930s when full-time drivers were hired. He worked his way up through the ranks and became the first full-time Chief in 1945. He served until his untimely death in 1955.

My oldest brother joined the Department as a volunteer in 1952 and was hired full-time in 1956 as a part of the first full-time, two-crew system. At that time the Department was and remains a combination Department with paid-on-call and full-time members. He retired as Chief in 1988.

I joined the department as a paid-on-call firefighter in 1969, was hired full-time in 1976 and retired as a Lieutenant in 2004.

All together that adds up to nearly 100 years of service and 85 continuous years without a break with at least ONE family member on the Department. 

Do you have family ties in your department? Share your thoughts below!