Photo by Ryan Howard
Forest Lake Fire Chief Gary Sigfrinius is proud of the team of Forest Lake and Columbus firefighters he’s overseen and the new fire hall he helped design during his tenure as the fire department’s first full-time chief.
Forest Lake Fire Chief Gary Sigfrinius didn’t outgrow his childhood dreams. Instead, he grew into them.
Now 63 and set to retire on Jan. 30, Sigfrinius remembers growing up in Marble and wanting to become a firefighter – particularly because his dad was elected as fire chief by residents of the small northern town. His desire never went away.
“I always wanted to be one,” he said.
However, full-time firefighting jobs don’t come along every day. About 40 years ago, Sigfrinius joined the National Guard and was stationed in Brainerd, where he first volunteered as a firefighter. He was later transferred to Duluth, where he also joined the fire department. After 10 years of service, he was then transferred to St. Paul, and he and his wife Gail had to pick a metro city in which to settle down.
“(Forest Lake) was on the north side of the cities, and my family would be visiting from the north,” Sigfrinius explained of his choice.
Though moving to Forest Lake was a matter of geography, staying has been a matter of love. The Sigfriniuses raised two daughters, Tracey and Amy, in town (both still live in the area), and the outgoing chief said that good schools, a scenic location and friendly residents were what kept the family local.
When the family moved, Sigfrinius joined Forest Lake Fire and Rescue, which at that time was already serving both Forest Lake and Columbus (in all, about 84 square miles of coverage). At the time, he viewed firefighting as an extracurricular, almost a hobby, that he happened to care about passionately. He didn’t want to get into a leadership role, but after he had served with the department for 10 years, his peers voted him into the position of paid on-call chief.
Ten years later, he retired from his National Guard duty as plans, operations and military support officer (essentially, he managed National Guard units during emergency management situations) and was subsequently hired by the city as its first full-time chief, a position he’s held for a decade.
“The responsibilities (of a paid on-call chief) are no different than when you’re a full-time chief,” Sigfrinius said; the difference, he added, is that you have time to take care of them.
Firefighting is a tough job, made tougher today by new hazards every firefighter must face. With more plastic and chemical-based products on the market, it’s not unlikely that a firefighter may have to respond to a blaze that has created toxic fumes.
Sigfrinius said that modern building construction can lead to structures that are less sturdy; in particular, he said, his men and women must always keep a watchful eye out for weak floor joists that quickly burn away and collapse in a fire. To be sure there is footing to walk on in a smoke-filled room, he noted, “We use an ax to pound on the floor as we walk.”
On the bright side, more challenges have led to more improvements. When Sigfrinius first volunteered in Brainerd, “We had pull-up boots and rubber coats and plastic helmets.” He even remembered one peer whose rubber gloves melted on his hands.
Since then, firefighting technology has grown by leaps and bounds. Each firefighter has a full complement of customized “turnout gear” that includes state-of-the-art helmets, pants, gloves and jackets that resist super-heated environments. No more is a firefighter judged by “how much smoke he (can) eat,” said Sigfrinius; self-contained breathing apparatuses keep firefighters safer for longer.
So too, have firefighting vehicles improved: The Forest Lake department’s old tanker truck can pump 500 gallons of water per minute, while the newer aerial platform vehicle (ladder truck) can pump 2,000.
Education has also gotten better. When Sigfrinius started, two or three firefighters in each department would get trained at state fire school. Now, all new recruits must receive training in a vocational school. Sigfrinius said the new firefighter of today knows a lot more about safety and effective firefighting techniques than the new firefighter of the 1970s.
“It gives everyone the same … foundation in the business,” he said.
Of all the improvements, one of the most important to Forest Lake and Columbus firefighters is the hydraulic rescue tool. Commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life, the tools can be used to by skilled rescuers to quickly extricate people from vehicles after accidents – much faster than old methods like using chains pulled from vehicles.
Hydraulic rescue tools are particularly relevant to Forest Lake-area firefighters because of the number of major state thoroughfares that run through the area. Between the interstate, multiple U.S. highways and State Highway 97, it’s not uncommon for Forest Lake firefighters to respond to crashes or other automotive incidents.
Fortunately, Sigfrinius said, one of the department’s greatest strengths is quick extrication. He recalled one bad accident between two vehicles at the intersection of 97 and 61, resulting in a seriously injured child who was trapped in a car. Firefighters quickly were on scene and pulled the girl from the wreck; she was rushed to St. Paul for surgery. In between the call for service and the girl reaching the emergency room table at Regions Hospital, only 35 minutes had elapsed.
“We have saved a lot more lives with our Jaws of Life than with a fire hose,” Sigfrinius said.
That being said, those fire hoses sure do come in handy. One of the toughest jobs Sigfrinius can remember is the October 2000 fire that started in Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area. A stray spark from a bonfire thought extinguished three days before was blown in the wind, quickly igniting much of the wooded area and spreading north to Linwood and Stacy. No lives were lost in the fire, but Forest Lake Fire and Rescue and several other departments fought the blaze – which ultimately covered almost 10,000 acres – for three days, and some buildings in Linwood were destroyed. In times like that, it is important to Sigfrinius that his department functions like a well-oiled machine.
Submitted photo
One of the most harrowing incidents of Sigfrinius’s firefighting career was an October 2000 fire in Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area. The three-day fire burned almost 10,000 acres of land.
The emergency response cooperation is one of his biggest pleasures of working in Forest Lake. Sigfrinius said the relationship between firefighters, police and EMS responders locally is a “partnership” of respect and efficiency, working together to quickly help the victims of a fire, accident or other emergency.
After 40 years of firefighting, Sigfrinius hasn’t given a lot of thought to his own future plans. He and Gail want to stay involved with their grandchildren while maybe spending time someplace warm, but his own to-do list after he retires on Jan. 30 primarily consists of catching up on household chores. On the other hand, he has spent a lot of time helping to set up the Fire Department’s success for the future.
Sigfrinius originally planned on retiring last year, but after the approval of the city center and its space for a new fire hall, he stayed on to help plan the facility. The new fire hall is larger, has adequate training space and will better store firefighting equipment. Though Sigfrinius predicted that much of the department’s future growth will come in the form of substations in different parts of town as rural calls increase, the main fire hall also has room for future expansion, including sleeping spaces for firefighters who will eventually stay the night at the building. It’s a legacy Sigfrinius is proud to leave.
Ask Sigfrinius why he’s loved being a firefighter, and he’ll say it’s the excitement and the people. The camaraderie firefighters share is special, and the relationships Sigfrinius has made over the years with fellow residents who face danger for others is something he’ll always treasure. However, he said there’s one other thing about his job that’s been really rewarding: the ability to finish a day’s work and think to himself, “I saved a life today.”
“Not a lot of people can say that,” he said.