Fifty years a fireman
Garrison man celebrates half-century fighting fire
By JAMES C. FALCON
editors@bhgnews.com
When he was a young boy, Ronald Krebsbach wasn’t among the league of boys who wanted to grow up to be a fireman.
Krebsbach can’t remember exactly what it was he wanted to be, but firefighting wasn’t a future vocation.
However, through his job and circumstance, the germ of an idea came to him and the rest, as they say, is history.
The year was 1971. Kresbach was working at the McLean County Independent — doing “a little bit of everything,” he said — when a call came in about a house fire by Lake Audubon. Kresbach went out to cover the fire and while there, ended up giving a helping hand, helping to hold the hoses as the firemen extinguished the flames.
“I think there was an interest right after that,” Krebsbach said. “After that, Dennis Thompson approached me and asked if I would be a fireman. And he would sponsor me. That kicked it off and I’ve been a fireman ever since.”
This month, Krebsbach is celebrating 50 years as a firefighter in Garrison.
In addition to working as a fireman, Krebsbach also served as assistant rural fire chief and rural fire chief over a period of 30 year before stepping down in 2008. The rural and assistant rural fire chiefs act as liaisons between the rural fire district board of directors and the Garrison Fire Department, explained Bruce Schriener, city chief for the fire department.
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