After 36 years, firefighter hangs up uniform for final time
PROUD TO SERVE — After 36 years, 30 of them as captain for the Freeborn Fire Department, Roger Merritt has hung up his uniform for the final time. (Star Eagle photo by Rachel Rietsema)
By RACHEL RIETSEMA
Staff Writer
At age 22, Roger Merritt had no inhibitions about firefighting. The flames didn’t faze him and the heat only dared him to fight harder.
Thirty-six years later, Merritt still feels the same way about sparks out of control.
“It meant a lot to give to the surrounding community,” Merritt said. “Helping save lives by putting out fires, people are really thankful.”
To this day, those kind words remain embedded in the recesses of his heart. And there they will remain, even after announcing his retirement from the Freeborn Fire Department.
“When I first joined, the adrenaline was for sure going,” Merritt said. “But, last year, I had a lot of medical issues. I missed most of the summer because I had a broken wrist. I actually had three surgeries.”
Surprisingly, saying goodbye to such a driving force in his life came easy for him. It was just time to move on.
“The younger ones can take over now,” Merritt said. “I’ll miss being with the guys and talking about previous fires, but those friendships will keep on going. It’s a small town. We will still get together.”
Now proudly claiming the retirement title, he has a few pieces of advice for his firemen buddies.
“Enjoy yourself, don’t make it stressful,” Merritt said. “Use common sense, listen to your conscience, be aware of your surroundings and be willing to take orders.”
More specifically, always use caution when driving to the scene too, he says. In other words, be as quick as possible in a safe manner.
“You have to obey the speed limit,” Merritt said. “That’s a big piece of equipment going down the road.”
Also a first responder for 15 years, he arrived to scenes that left a different kind of lasting impression.
“There was one time we got called to a farming accident,” Merritt said. “Ronny Jacobsen and I were the first ones to respond. It hit us both hard. We both went home and hugged and kissed our kids, and told them how much we loved them.”
He also recalls another humbling experience that involved a snowplow. The first on the scene once again, he looked for a pulse. There was none.
“Things like that hit you more later on,” Merritt said. “There are a lot of years and good times though.”
Last year, the number of fire calls his team responded to totaled 18. And of those 18 calls, he took on the driver role as well as the pumper operator.
“There were a few times that I did go in with a team of three,” Merritt said. “There’s also a backup team just in case the air runs out.”
Luckily, he and the Freeborn Fire Department haven’t needed to rescue anybody from a house fire. At least for the last 36 years, that is.
“As the fire captain for 30 years, my job was to size up the scene and delegate,” Merritt said. “One time we had a fire where the house was pretty much a loss when we got there. The chimney was still intact though, so if it got weak on one side, we needed to watch out for the safety of the other firemen on the ground.”
This L & D Ag fabrication foreman will also miss the training involved with the job. Yes, believe it or not, he loved learning all kinds of fire facts.
“The annual Fire Marshall meetings were really important to this process,” Merritt said.
His fireman uniform officially set aside, he wants everyone to know that it was his absolute pleasure to give back to the community. It just felt good.
“Time sure does fly once you’re out of school,” Merritt said. “It really does.”
