Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Northfield Fire Department

5 1 Years

Celebrates

Northfield ews Northfield N News localmatters

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B2

150

years of excellence, eight chiefs

By JANE TURPIN MOORE

S

ince 1872, the Northfield Area Fire & Rescue Service (NAFRS) has provided a large measure of safety and security for citizens of Northfield and the surrounding area.

Remarkably, over its 150 years of service, this force known for its quality, consistency and camaraderie has had only eight fire chiefs—an average tenure per leader of nearly 19 years.

“We wouldn’t still be here today if not for the great work of our forefathers,” said Gerry Franek, NAFRS chief from 2000-2022. “Our team has carried on the tradition of excellence and strives to do the best we can with what we have.”

This group photo shot using an overhead drone shows the entire fire and rescue team members, their vehicles and the south end of the Fifth Street and Highway 3 firehall. Back Row Dave Hoban, Sam Lane, Jeff Ostberg, TJ Dvorak, Justin Raabolle-Captain, Andrew Tussing-Captain, Jesse Faust-Assistant Chief, Tom Nelson-Interim Chief, Sean SimonsonAssistant Chief, Dean Erickson-Captain, Phil Graue-Captain, Wade Canedy, Brian Redfield, Tommy Mulligan, Aramis Wells. Front Row Tom Sorem, Erik Anderson, Tyler Leppert, Ben Simpson, Darrin Stowe, Davis Royle, Dylan McCallum, Amy Reding, Katelyn Sticha, Jamie Moore, Micah Conroy, Noah Malecha, Hunter Redfield, Mike Hodne, and Kris Landon. (Photo courtesy of Aramis Well)

And it isn’t just the chiefs who stick around for decades.

“Two firefighters retired in 2021 and both of them [Mike Kruse and Jeff Machacek] had over 40 years in,” said John Machacek, NAFRS chief from 19732000 and an overall 38-year NAFRS veteran. Jeff Machacek’s 27 years as assistant fire chief coincided with Machacek’s leadership period.

“It’s not uncommon for a Northfield firefighter

Committed to our community.

We have that in common.

Your friends at Merchants Bank want to say thank you, Northfield Area Fire and Rescue, for your 150 years of dedication and service to our community!

to put in 20 years—a lot have done that—or to have multiple generations from a single family involved.”

The Canedy men, for example, represent threegenerations of local firefighters, beginning with Milford Canedy, then David Canedy and finally Wade Canedy, who remains on the force today.

Why such longevity and dedication?

“It’s a good organization to belong to, and it’s exciting, and there’s real camaraderie,” said Machacek,

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Congratulations on 150 years of caring for the Northfield area!

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Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B3 82. “It [NAFRS] creates a sense of belonging while giving back—and they have a big banquet every year, and that helps keep everybody interested and together.”

NAFRS’ sesquicentennial is a fitting time for a brief look back at the origins of an extraordinary organization.

Getting started

“Every chief kept a book,” said Machacek, “and the secretaries recorded things. We have all the records, all the way back to when it began.”

Recent history

Schedule of events for July 23rd celebration

During Franek’s 22 years as NAFRS chief, more changes unfolded. Notably, the Fifth Street firehall was expanded in 2017 to better accommodate NAFRS’ access, trucks and other equipment.

And since Sept. 1, 2014, a joint powers organization comprised of representatives from Northfield, Dundas Open house, 4-7 p.m. at Firehall and the Rural Fire District have governed NAFRS. Glen Castore served as the joint powers board’s first Museum open with photos and vice chair, with Dundas mayor Glenn Switzer the joint memorabilia, 4-7 p.m. powers board’s first chair. Castore, board chair from 2015-17 and a non-voting member, continues to serve Helicopter rides, 5 p.m. on the board, which has eight voting members.

“To me, the biggest achievement is that we have a Auto extrication 6:30 p.m. healthy, paid-on-call department, which is extremely rare,” said Castore.

Kitchen fire demos, 4-6 p.m.

“Most paid-on-call departments have a hard time getting people to serve and they often don’t stay Fire extinguisher training, 4-6 p.m. very long, but in the last hiring rounds we hired six firefighters and had 31 applicants,” Castore continued.

Kids hands on with fire hose, “Most departments in the state, if they had six open4-6 p.m. ings, they’d be lucky to have six applicants.”

Castore says the close relationship between the Pumpers in the park, from 6-10 p.m. seven townships comprising the Rural Fire District at Water St and 5th St bridge and NAFRS has existed since 1952.

“Between 1987 and 2013, the Rural Fire District Minnesota Fire Engine Club display provided all the new equipment to the fire departfire engines, 4-8 p.m. ment, so its involvement has been pretty extensive,” he said.

Food sold on site, 6-10 p.m.

Franek, Castore points out, was the last fire chief in all of Minnesota to be elected, and he commends Light show begins at sundown, Franek for his leadership throughout a period of tranapproximately 8:30 p.m. sition, growth and construction that was not without some growing pains.

Free dance at the Grand Event “I feel pretty good about what we’ve accomplished [with the joint powers board] over the last eight Center, 9-12 p.m. featuring music by years,” said Castore, mentioning the board is still conRoadhouse 6, a Country Fest sidering whether to become a taxing district—a new favorite playing country and option approved by the state legislature in 2021—or classic rock remain as is.

Franek agrees that the Fifth Street station’s remodel and addition, Great work of forefathers along with the updating of fire and rescue equipment – Gerry Franek, NAFRS chief from 2000-2022 plus strides made in improving firefighter training, were definite high points of his tenure.

“NAFRS is in a really good spot right now,” said Franek. “It was hard to leave, but it’s always good to go out on a strong note and not when things are in turmoil. We’ve had good levels of recruitment, retention, pay, facility and equipment, and I can feel proud about that.”

Tom Nelson is NAFRS’ current interim fire chief; he served as First Assistant Fire Chief under Franek’s leadership for 20 years.

“Gerry is one of those I call a second father,” said REGIONAL PRESIDENT: RANDY RICKMAN Nelson. “He taught me and the other command staff REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR: PHILIP WEYHE things like ‘don’t sweat the small stuff,’ because when ASSOICATE EDITOR: PAMELA THOMPSON someone makes a mistake, that means they were tryREGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SALES: ROSS ULRICH MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST: VICTORIA RUD ing.

- COVER PHOTOS BY ARAMIS WELLS “Gerry has made my job as interim chief so much All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertisers. easier due to the work he did to build up a solid This publication is ©2022 by APG SoMinn and no content can be department, and John Machacek did the same thing,” reproduced without permission. Northfield Fire Depatment 150

When NAFRS first began in 1872, Chief R.C. “Ross” Phillips was at the helm—and stayed there for an incredible 54 years.

Consider Phillips’ toughness and resiliency: He’d been fire chief for four years by the time Jesse James infamously attempted to rob the First National Bank of Northfield and continued in the role until Prohibition, and the Roaring ‘20s, were halfway done.

Allen Mackay succeeded him (1926-47).

For decades the fire hall was located at 302 Division St. South; these days, the Contented Cow pub is on the building’s lower level.

“When I first got on the force, the old fire station was on Division Street,” said Machacek. “We had five trucks in that little building, and in order to get the ladders out, we had to move two of the trucks.

“It was so crowded you could hardly walk between the trucks, and the floor was reinforced with big timbers to support them. All the living quarters were upstairs, and there was a fire pole for sliding down from the top to the apparatus room.”

Machacek joined the force while Floyd “Friggy” Wells (1950-60) was in charge.

“Friggy ran two restaurants in Northfield, both on the west side of the Cannon, and it was nothing fancy but he had breakfast and dinner and everybody ate there,” Machacek said. “He was really busy.”

Machacek also served under fire chief Willard “Willy” Sievers (1960-72).

“Willy worked for the post office and he ran a good ship,” said Machacek. “He appointed me assistant for awhile and stuck around long enough that we both served on the building committee for the new [Fifth Street] fire station [built in 1971]. Shortly after it was built, he retired.”

Machacek explained that the southeast corner of Fifth Street and Highway 3 was chosen for the fire hall due to its helpful proximity.

“There was a major highway going both ways—and the land was available,” he chuckled, recalling that the current Fifth Street bridge replaced an older steel model in 1957.

Northfield train traffic was a consideration, but the Greenvale Avenue overpass has long provided the means to access the west side of town even when a train is blocking Highway 19.

Alerting NAFRS staff to fire and/or rescue calls has certainly evolved from the old days, Machacek confirmed.

“Your [landline] phone would start ringing and wouldn’t stop, and that’s how you knew there was a fire call,” said Machacek. “There were no radios or cell phones; people would just drop what they were doing and take off for the fire station.”

Machacek remembers when firefighters who lived on the side of town where a fire was underway would head straight to the call without first going to the station to don their gear.

“And sure, over the years there were a number of burns, legs busted, stuff like that,” as a result of the unsafe practice, Machacek noted.

Pagers entered the scene during the 1980s, vastly improving the timing for NAFRS firefighters.

History buffs will be fascinated to learn that NAFRS retains written records of all meetings dating to the earliest days of the local force.

CONTINUED ON PAGE B4

“

We wouldn’t still be here today if not for the great work of our forefathers.

“

Celebration will be delivered to all subscribers of Northfield News.

2010 Jefferson Rd., STE A&B, Northfield, MN 55057

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B4 businesses these days are more toxic and burn hotter than materials did in the past, plus lighter-weight construction burns faster too.

“That’s changed our plan of attack and the process of decontaminating our equipment afterwards, but we’re trying to focus on fire prevention and code enforcement,” Nelson said.

While it’s certain more changes lie in NAFRS’ future, the proud pillars of this 150-year-old organization whose mission is protecting more than 26,000 people in a 144 square-mile area are sure to stay the same.

“We’re a community of firefighters who see people at their worst and want to help them out,” said Nelson, praising his current 32-member force.

“And serving on the fire department is one of the ways I’ve found to give back to Northfield, which is a special place in so many ways.”

Echoed Machacek, “We never had a problem getting good people, and those I served with are still my good friends. I got as much as I gave, and I’m happy to have served the community.”

Franek heartily concurs.

“For me, working with such a great crew was just a joy, like having a second family, and I enjoyed the relationships, the excellence and the professionalism of what we did,” Franek said.

“Whether on a fire call, at an accident scene or This map shows the coverage area where Northfield Area Fire & Rescue responds to calls. To the south, coverage stretches to Co. Road 9, to the north to Castle Rock, west to I-35 and east to Goodhue County. (Photo courtesy of in a board meeting, I was always confident that the person next to me had my back. We support each Aramis Wells) other through thick and thin, and that’s a pretty cool ing sprinkler systems, and he observes that mandaCONTINUED FROM PAGE B3 deal. It’s a warm feeling to give back to your commutory smoke alarms are going a long way towards nity, and it gets in your blood. Our community can be Nelson continued. “It’s a process, but having people saving lives. proud of this team, and we want to keep ‘er going for who grew up here who are willing to give back and “Construction has changed so much and codes have the next 150 years.” n help build other leaders coming up the chain is imimproved,” said Nelson. portant.”

Pamela Thompson is the associate editor for the Northfield News.

Nelson appreciates that more business are installReach her at 507-645-1115 or pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com.

On the other hand, he says contents of homes and

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B5

First females, Amy Reding and Katelyn Sticha became paid-on-call volunteers for Northfield Area Fire & Rescue at the same time and have enjoyed learning the ropes together.

(Photo courtesy of Aramis Wells)

1st female firefighters join volunteer force in Northfield

By PAMELA THOMPSON pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com

H since 1872.

istory was made on August 2021 when two female firefighters joined the paidon-call squad at the Northfield Area Fire & Rescue Department that has kept watch over the Northfield area

Coincidentally, Amy Reding and Katelyn Sticha just happened to join the force at the same time. They didn’t know each other until they became co-workers.

Reding brings with her a background in law enforcement and community engagement, while Sticha has private business ownership in her wheelhouse.

Both women said joining the force has been something they’ve wanted to do for a long time but for various reasons kept delaying the process.

Until a year ago.

Sticha, who owns and operates a fitness facility with her husband, said she waited a few years to take the plunge after establishing that their new business was profitable.

“We moved here from Duluth to start the business four years ago,” she explained. “My brother works for the fire department in New Prague. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years. I just needed to build up CONTINUED ON PAGE B15

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B6

5 1

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B7

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B8

Northfield Fire Dept Staff

Tom Nelson Hired 1988 Interim Chief

Jesse Faust

Hired 1997 1st Assistant Chief

Sean Simonson

Andrew Tussing

Justin Raabolle

Dean Erickson

Phil Graue

Erik Anderson

Wade Canedy

Micah Conroy

TJ Dvorak

Josh Hall

Dave Hoban

Mike Hodne

Pete Jirik

Kris Landon

Sam Lane

Tyler Leppert

Hired 2017 4th Captain

Hired 2002

Hired 2017

Hired 2016

Hired 2002 2nd Assistant Chief

Hired 2008 1st Captain

Hired 1993

Hired 2019

Hired 1988

Hired 2019

Hired 2013 2nd Captain

Hired 1988

Hired 2017

Hired 2008 3rd Captain

Hired 2008

Hired 2019

History timeline since 1997

Jan 3rd, 2000 Gerry Franek elected to be new chief.

Aug 24th, 2006 Waves of baseball sized hail hit the area damaging cars, homes and businesses.

Mar 31st, 2008 Train derails spilling sulfuric acid between Greenvale Ave and Dairy Queen. Fire department on scene for a couple days during the spill clean up.

Sep 26th, 2010 Fire department works with National Guard to close numerous bridges in area due to record flooding.

Oct 2017 Department begins using smartphones to be paged out to calls.

May 2018 Construction begins on firehall addition and remodel.

Contents and sleepers are moved out.

June 2018 Wastewater treatment plant damaged in fire caused by lightning.

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B9

Noah Malecha

Dylan McCallum

Jamie Moore

Tommy Mulligan

Steve Noreen

Jeff Ostberg

Dan Parrott

Amy Reding

Brian Redfield

Hunter Redfield

Davis Royal

Ben Simpson

Tom Sorem

Katelyn Sticha

Darin Stowe

Jeremy Webber

Aramis Wells

Hired 2021

Hired 2017

Hired 2017

Hired 2021

Hired 2021

Hired 2021

Sep 20th, 2018 2 tornadoes near Dundas cause widespread damage in the Northfield Dundas area sending fire crews on 22 calls that evening.

Feb 2019 Firefighter Chad VanZuilen dies in a snowmobile accident.

Hired 2019

Hired 2002

Hired 2016

June 2019 Construction wraps up and firefighters begin the move in process.

Nov 12th, 2020 Fire started in SmoqeHouse in the Archer House. Fire crews from Northfield, Farmington, Lonsdale, Randolph, and Faribault fought the blaze for 24 hours.

Hired 2008

Hired 2017

Hired 2008

Hired 2013

Hired 2021

Hired 2002

Hired 2019

Hired 1999

Jan 18th, 2022 Chief Franek Retires and Tom Nelson fills in as interim.

Feb 22nd, 2022 Department Turns 150 with newly remodeled firehall, 9 trucks, 2 ATV’s and 35 personnel. In 2021 fire department responded to 317 fire calls and rescue squad responded to 290 calls.

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B10

Sleepers (from left to right) Jeremy Webber, Noah Malecha and Mike Hodne on the firepole balcony. (Photo courtesy of Aramis Wells)

Firehouse sleepers

are just a pole slide away from responding to calls

By PAMELA THOMPSON pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com

O

ne of the first questions nearly everyone asks Mike Kruse when they learn he was a sleeper at the Northfield Firehouse for 47 years, is always about the fire pole.

“I used the fire pole on every call,” Kruse said in a phone interview from northern Minnesota where he retired two years ago.

During those years, there were a few mishaps involving the fire pole. Once during a tour with elementary school children, a student almost fell down the hold. But, it was after a hapless a pizza delivery man fell down the hole breaking an arm and a leg that a gate was finally added.

Kruse, who was born and raised in Northfield, literally followed his father, Clinton Kruse, in service to the community. As the oldest of nine children, Kruse served in the military, worked as a union electrician, was a Sunday dispatcher and a volunteer firefighter just like his dad.

“I followed in his footsteps,” he said.

Kruse, who never married, moved into the firehouse when there were three bedrooms with bunkbeds for double occupancy. The rooms had no doors, but the sleepers did have

a maid.

After the remodel when the meeting room moved to the basement, Kruse said doors were added to the new configuration of four bedrooms. All the sleepers bought their own food and prepared their own meals, although they shared a central refrigerator and kitchen cupboards.

The sleepers shared a T.V. and for a while they had a pool table. “It was like a fraternity,” he said. “We had a ritual where the guys would come up on Sunday mornings and we’d watch All-Star wrestling.

“A lot of people couldn’t believe the firehouse had sleepers upstairs,” he said.

Over all the years he lived there with a number of other firefighters rotating in and out, Kruse said there was only one person he didn’t get along with — and he wasn’t even a volunteer, he was a city employee.

As one of the sleepers at the Northfield Firehouse, Michael Hodne was usually driving the first first truck out of the garage on a call.

For seven years Hodne lived upstairs in the dorm-style units with private bedrooms and shared living room, kitchen and bathrooms.

As a paid-on-call-volunteer, Hodne knew perfectly well what he had signed up for.

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B11 “I had a lot of responsibility,” he said. “As the driver, I had to get to the scene safely with full water tanks, and then get people back safely.”

Hodne, who works full-time at Cardinal Glass, said despite what people believe from television shows and movies, firetrucks loaded with a thousand gallons of water are not that fast. “Our lights and signs ask cars to yield to us during a call,” he said. “But a truck that heavy can’t stop on a dime. It’s more like stopping a semi-trailer truck.”

Hodne, who is proudly accident free — knock on wood — said being cross-trained as an EMT gives all the members on the call a lot of different responsibilities.

“The good thing about that is that we’ve had some saves working as a team,” said Hodne. The flip side of that teamwork is that the responders “see some bad stuff nobody wants to see. There are some memories that can negatively effect you later in life.”

Regardless, the sleepers always were and still are ready to slide down that pole and head where they’re needed, when they’re needed. n Pamela Thompson is the associate editor for the Northfield News. Reach her at 507-645-1115 or pamela. thompson@apgsomn.com.

“

It’s like a fraternity, we had a ritual where the guys would come up on Sunday mornings and we’d watch All-Star wrestling.

“

– Mike Kruse

A gate has been erected on the upper level of the fire pole after a pizza delivery person accidently fell through the hole and broke an arm and a leg. (Pamela Thompson/ southernminn.com)

Thank You for

15O years

Northfield Fire Department

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B12

Rescue squad captains stand by their bright blue vehicle. Rescue captains shown here include Phil Graue 2022-current, Justin Raabolle 2020-2022, Andrew Tussing 2017-2020, and Aramis Wells 2014-2017. (Photo courtesy of Aramis Wells)

Northfield Rescue Squad comprised of dedicated volunteers

By JANE TURPIN MOORE

W

hen are Northfield firefighters not firefighters?

When they are acting as members of the Northfield Rescue Squad (NRS) instead.

“The rescue squad and the fire department are two separate organizations that share members,” said Aramis Wells, the NRS captain from 2014-17 and a 22-year veteran of both vital teams.

Current NRS captain Phil Graue further clarified the distinction.

“The rescue squad handles everything non-fire related—car accidents, medical calls, water rescues— there’s a pretty broad paintbrush of things the rescue squad gets involved with,” Graue said.

“But the NRS is 100% volunteer,” he continued.

“Squad members receive no compensation or pension for going out on NRS calls.”

Varied colors supply additional clues: NRS vehicles are blue while the fire vehicles are red.

“And the NRS trucks are all funded by donations, which come in at every level from $5 to $10,000,” said Graue.

“All the NRS medical equipment and recertification classes we have to take are funded with donations, even though a lot of people don’t understand that when we’re asking for donations.”

Saving Northfielders’ lives since 1958 John Machacek, a retired fire department chief, joined the crew when the NRS was in its infancy.

“Northfield was the first town outside the sevencounty metro area to have a rescue squad,” Machacek

said. “There were no other outstate ones that we knew of then. Ray Ozmun started the rescue squad, and a guy named Jim Becker got us going with some big-time [mandatory] training.

“It’s been a good service.”

Machacek recalls that three NRS members were even hired by the state of Minnesota to teach rescue procedures to other fire department personnel across the state’s southern swath.

“And three of us were on the early helicopter ambulances [for night shifts] out of St. Paul,” he said.

“We flew to accident scenes, dropped in and helped patients on site.”

Northfielders weren’t immediately sure how to put the rescue squad to work, but it didn’t take long for them to catch on to the NRS’s important services.

“The first couple of years, we had about 19 calls the whole year,” said Machacek. “Then it started picking up.

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B13 And how.

When Wells joined in 1999, the NRS was responding to upwards of 470 calls annually. Because squad members strictly volunteer their time, an analysis of where they were being directed took place. The discovery that nearly half were to area nursing homes where someone was reporting shortness of breath precipitated a change.

“We realized the nurses on site were usually well trained and able to handle that, so we restructured our calls to make sure we were only going out when we were really needed,” said Wells.

Even so, the call count has gradually crept up; in 2021, the NRS responded to 290 calls — on top of the 300 fire calls received locally.

Wells is proud of the reputation the NRS developed.

“As the NRS grew and equipped itself with better, newer trucks and more training, it was considered one of the best volunteer rescue services in the state,” Wells said.

“They were pretty forward-thinking because early on they decided everyone needed to be trained as EMTs, which was unheard of at that time.”

He shared an anecdote from before the NRS was established, when the local on-call ambulance service consisted of a man who was lawn-mowing, received a call, stopped mowing, picked up his partner, collected the ambulance and then went to the call site.

Needless to say, response times vastly improved with the formalized NRS. “It got to be that the rescue squad was at an accident still waiting for the ambulance to arrive, so that’s what prompted them to go through the process of getting an ambulance,” said Wells.

Training to be the best

When Wells later attended the graduation ceremony, only a couple years out of high school himself, he Graue explains that solid training is key to the prorealized he was the only one present who knew what fessionalism and high skill level of the NRS. had happened.

“All our firefighters are required to be EMRs “When you know the person, it messes with you,” (emergency medical responders) and to take the EMT he said. “I could hardly comprehend what was going (emergency medical technician) training,” said Graue. on.”

“Not everyone passes the EMT certification test, The next morning, he had breakfast with his menbut 85 to 90% are certified EMTs and all have had the tor, Mitch Dewar.

EMT training.”

“Mitch taught me two rules: Rule #1, things like this Requiring that degree of training—and ensuring are going to happen and people are going to die, and a two-year cycle of EMT and CPR recertification—is Rule #2, you can’t change Rule #1,” said Wells. critical not only to supporting the community but “It was the stupidest thing he was saying but it just each other. Considering that firefighters commonly clicked in my head and helped me make sense of it; risk injury (burns, bone breaks, etc.), it’s readily I showed up, I did everything I possibly could, but I understandable that having knowledgeable first aid assistance present makes perfect sense. just couldn’t bring him back. And after that, I slept With a current firefighting force of 32, anywhere better.” from 15 to 20 most regularly respond to NRS calls.

The stories—and the dedication—roll on.

“We get paged for rescue calls, and whoever shows “To me, there’s more times we’re needed for a up goes out,” said Graue. “For a car accident, we like medical call or whatever the issue might be than for to go with a minimum of four people because there’s active fires, so I’m more drawn to the rescue side,” so much stuff that could be going on.” said Graue, also mentioning the annual Easter egg Graue, a 2003 Northfield High School graduate who hunt the NRS hosts annually with the VFW and other has been involved with NAFRS for five years, says the community events they assist with or sponsor. closest he’s come so far to a “hero moment” was when “It’s a big ask, to get people this dedicated, but since he carried a disabled elderly person safely out of a I’ve been on the force, I’ve wanted to be even more a house fire in 2021. part of helping.”

“But we get calls for everything, including for stuff Added Wells, “Yes, we have quite a few stories—and everyone else wants to run away from—and we charge it’s been a lot of fun. The camaraderie in the departinto it,” he said. ment is well worth all the time I’ve put into it, so I’ll Wells said the most difficult moment he’s experistick around and keep doing it; it’s an act of enced on the NRS came early in his career, when a service.” n young man whose brother was graduating from high school that day was riding in a car that was t-boned— Pamela Thompson is the associate editor for the Northfield News.

Reach her at 507-645-1115 or pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com. and he died.

Northfield NorthfieldNNews ews localmatters

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B14

At last year’s annual Old Codger’s Dinner in October 2021, the group of retired firefighters followed tradition by gathering for a photo at the end of the evening. Back row Loren Day, Dennis Grinde, Corey Stadler, Les Ferris, Dean Odette, Mick Scholl, Rick Sellers, John Machacek. Front Row Mike Stowe, Norm Ciffra, Doug Lien, Ed Miller, Steve Graff, Mike Kruse, Jeff Machacek, Mitch Dewar, Ray Ozmun, Jerry Blesener, Roger Kretsch, Lonny Slinger, and Jerry Skluzacek. (Photo courtesy of Aramis Wells)

Old Codger’s group

connects past with present for Fire Department

By PAMELA THOMPSON pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com

O

nce a year, when the “Old Codgers” group converges at the fire hall for a chicken and rib dinner, they always end up gathered around the antique firetruck for a photo.

Some traditions, like tire tracks in soft ground, just get more deeply embedded.

The group of retired firefighters meets once a year, usually in the fall on a non-hunting season weekend.

They come together to meet the active firefighters, share a meal from the Quarterback, tell old stories and before they disperse, have their photo taken.

“We had a real good turnout last year,” said Dean Odette, who retired in 2007 after 22 years on the force. “We come to the firehall to see the trucks, hang

around and talk to the new group.”

Odette, who was a welding instructor at Faribault Technical College before starting his own welding business, said the retired guys introduce themselves to the active squad and then they like to tell stories, as well as hear new stories.

Like a family Odette, who started as a firefighter in 1985 with instruction in fire 1, 2, and 3, pivoted to the rescue squad after certification as an EMT. emergency management training. He served as secretary-treasurer for the rescue squad as well as 15-plus years on the board of trustees.

“The Fire Department was like a family,” said Odette. “We had good comradery and good times.”

While there were countless fire and rescue calls he made during his more than two decades of service, Odette vividly remembers trying to save the Northfield Golf Course clubhouse until the entire roof collapsed, and the three times he assisted with child births.

“Seeing new life happen, now that’s really remarkable,” he said.

While he won’t be able to attend the gala events celebrating the fire department’s 150 years — he’s leaving with his family for a long-planned vacation to Wisconsin — Odette said memories from his time on the force are always with him.

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | Page B15 “That was time well spent,” he said. “I learned a lot, helped a lot of people and served the community.”

Sounds like the definition of volunteering.

In a small department with most recruits crosstrained, retired firefighter Mitch Dewar said “we all wear a lot of hats.”

Over his 26 years on the force, Dewar said he had a lot of laughs, fun and comradery with his colleagues.

In fact, he and Mike Stowe worked together to plan the celebration for the 125th anniversary of the Fire Department.

“We spent a year planning that party,” said Dewar.

“We had a band, a beer tent, events at the museum, and a rally with 200 area fire trucks.”

Dewar, who signed on with the department in 1987, said he enjoys the history and traditions that are kept alive at the firehouse. One of his favorites is the Old Codger’s Night.

“I like meeting the new recruits, seeing the fire chief and hearing the news about the department,” he said. “We retirees always pressure him the chief to give us a new fire shirt or jacket.”

Speaking of freebies, Dewar remembers responding to a persistent fire at the Quality Bakery on Division Street that took crews all night long to contain.

After working overnight during a bitterly cold winter day, then fire chief Willard Sievers brought hot coffee and donuts to the exhausted firefighters who battled that blaze.

Another vivid memory was of responding to a fire call with numbers that corresponding to recipe cards with directions.

“Back then we would rely on the more senior guys to know where to turn at this corner or at that tree when we were making a rural call,” he said. Good thing I always got lost on the way home.”

Firefighters worked overnight to contain the fire at Quality Bakery in downtown Northfield in the 1980s. The next morning, retired Fire Chief Willard Sievers brought the exhausted crew hot coffee and donuts. (Photo courtesy of Northfield Area Fire & Rescue)

said. “I used to give tours of the station to a lot of children’s organizations like 4H groups and the cub scouts,” he said. “We also trained community groups Community connections of all ages on first aid and fire safety.”

Mike Stowe retired in the mid-2010s after 22 years Stowe said he and the other firefighters always enof active service. For four years, Stowe lived at the fire joyed visiting Northfield’s schools in October during station and remembers the excitement of responding fire prevention month to conduct fire drills and hold to those night calls and going out on the first truck. prevention training sessions.

Later after Stowe married and moved out of the A production scheduling supervisor at Post Cereal, station to buy a house, he moved six blocks away from Stowe said during his years of fire department duty, the firehouse. Later on after he and his wife started a he was all in. family, he said their kids Jacob and Sarah “enjoyed “It was a huge part of my life,” he said. “I was one being part of the station. Some days, they had the run hundred percent on board. For a long time my life of it.”

Over the years, he had many responsibilities from firefighter to rescue squad, from lieutenant to captain. He signed up for countless community events because he liked connecting the department with the public.

Stowe remembers driving the fire – Mike Stowe truck to area snowmobile club meetings in the winter and to surrounding towns for parades in the summer. At Christmas, the fire station would run a winter clothrevolved around work, home and the fire department. ing and gift drive and in the spring there was always a Even my social life revolved around hunting and food drive. fishing with my fire buddies, their spouses and kids.

Wherever I was, when my pager went off, I raced to A full-family operation the firehouse.”

Stowe said that level of commitment required that When he thinks back to being involved in all the his family was also all in. On many nights, he recalls community events, fond memories flood in, Stowe

eating out at a restaurant only to get a call and have to leave immediately.

“So many times I told my wife to find a ride because I had to go,” he recalls.

Eventually, Stowe said it was time to turn in his pager and retire. “It was hard to turn my pager over,” he said. “But that’s the life cycle of the department. A new group of recruits, who are growing and learning, are right there to take your place.”

Stowe said the core of the Northfield Fire Department was strong because of the experienced leadership and the low turnover.

a bit when you first get the call, then when you get to the fire and get amped up, you just do your job.” sling the safety pack of firefighting equipment on your Stricha said she hasn’t received any negative comback which weighs about 35 pounds. ments personally except for one indirectly sexist Even getting a pager call in the middle of the night comment she received during a Northfield commuhasn’t been that bad, Sticha said. “Sure, you grumble nity event during Halloween when she was wearing a

Northfield Area Fire & Rescue jacket.

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We’re so fortunate to have great candidates come through the department. Turnover is tough because it takes so long to be trained in resuce and ground operations. But, with only eight fire chiefs since 1872, that’s pretty incredible.

“

“We’re so fortunate to have great candidates come through the department,” he said. “Turnover is tough because it takes so long to be trained in rescue and ground operations. But with only eight fire chiefs since 1872, that’s pretty incredible.” n Pamela Thompson is the associate editor for the Northfield News.

Reach her at 507-645-1115 or pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com.

“The man asked me if my husband was on the force,” she said. n Pamela Thompson is the associate editor for the Northfield News.

Reach her at 507-645-1115 or pamela.thompson@apgsomn.com.

Northfield Fire Dept. Celebrates 150 Years | Wednesday, July 13, 2022 | PAGE B16