Haines celebrated for 55 years of service

Glen Haines was recently gifted a custom Henry .22 caliber rifle, from Old Republic Armaments in recognition of his 55 years of service with the Faith Volunteer Fire Department (FVFD). 

In 1968, he joined after noticing a need in the community. When asked what made him want to join, he said, "to help the community out. They needed help back then and young guys like me had to join or else the fire department wouldn't carry on." 

In his years of service, he has been to countless fires, the worst of which was the White Owl Fire in 2006. "The White Owl Fire was the biggest fire. I've been on some in the hills, but White Owl was the biggest and worst that I have ever been on." He also explained that, "going to the Black Hills and seeing how everything works on those big fires," has been one of the best experiences he has had. Stating, "the way they fight fires in the hills is so different from the way we fight fires around here." 

Throughout the years, Glen has seen some big changes in our "little" fire department. When discussing these changes, he said, "we went from one truck when I first started, to the amazing fleet we have today and the fancy fire hall and training room. We had nothing and went to all this." The fleet he is talking about consists of the departments 2 tenders, 1 4-wheel drive tender/grass rig, 1 search and rescue vehicle, 1 structure truck, and 4 grass rigs. The most rewarding part of being on the fire department for Glen has been, "comradery with the rest of the fire department, and helping the community." If you have any interest in becoming a member of the FVFD, please reach out, and if you see Glen around, thank and congratulate him for his 55 years of service to our great community!