Fire commissioner remembers growing up in old fire station

The Central Fire District in Menan opened its new fire station Thursday evening, but the old station holds a lot of memories for one firefighter who actually grew up in it.

“I remember never having a toy fire truck when I was a kid. Every kid has a toy fire truck, I had a real one at home,” said Mike Miller, Central Fire District Fire Commissioner who grew up in the old Menan Fire Station.

Miller’s father was the fire chief when he was younger. It was the time before radios, so the chief lived at the station and sounded the siren when there was a fire. Miller has many memories of living there from going out to fires with dad to causing some trouble.

“I can still remember one time though my friends coming over to play fireman and I knew enough by that point how to turn the lights on, the red lights,” Miller said. “Well, we didn’t think about how the truck had to have the battery and that’s what ran the lights. And I can still remember coming home, I got whooped pretty good because I’d left the lights on and the fire truck wouldn’t start.”

The station has most recently been used for training. The inside is mostly burned out and it will soon be torn down. It is an example of how far fire stations have come.

“Training has come a long ways and the equipment,” Miller said. “Wow, if we could’ve had some of the equipment back then that we have now that hadn’t even been invented yet. I mean, it’s easy to look back and think how nice it would’ve been, but, I wonder now what kind of changes will we see in the upcoming years too.”

Working in fire is sort of like a family business for the Millers. Not only was Miller’s dad the chief, but his two younger brothers also work for the Central Fire District at different stations.

“If it weren’t for volunteer fire departments in the United States, we’d be in a world of hurt,” Miller said. “I mean, these people give their time, the sacrifice, getting up in the middle of the night when they have to work the next morning to get on a call to help their neighbor or even help people they don’t even know who may be passing through and have a fire or medical call. It’s quite a thing to be a part of.”

The Central Fire District saved up money to build the new fire station so they would not have to pass a bond or raise taxes.