New Richmond fire chief celebrates 50 years as volunteer firefighter (2024)

New Richmond fire chief celebrates 50 years as volunteer firefighter (1)

Editor's note: The Coal Creek Fire & Rescue does receive operating and equipment funding from the township's cumulative tax fund.The information was incorrect in theJournal & Courier on Sunday, March 10.

NEW RICHMOND— There's a cliche that you can differentiate heroes from ordinary people based on who runs into tragedy versus who runs away.

As a young man Judd Meharry embodied that saying quite literally.

A 26-year-old Meharry was among a group of people watching a hog houseburn when he realized that there wasn't nearly enough firefighters to get all of the animals evacuated. So he did it himself.

This week the Coal Creek Township Fire Department celebrated50 years of heroism from Meharry.

In 1987, the Wingate andNew Richmond fire departments combined, with Meharry at the helm as fire chief.

While Meharry can map time and places based on rescue calls over the years, much of his heroism has happened behind the scenes.

Having the proper safety gear and training became a pillar of Meharry's tenure, former assistant fire chief Denny Olin said.

"He wants the best protection, the best equipment," Olin said. "If you save one life that's worth all the money in the world."

Turns out saving a firefighter's lifecosts about ten grand in gear from the boots to the oxygen pack.

The volunteer-based department operates onfundsfrom the township cumulative fire andfirefighting tax funds as well contracts with the town of Wingate and New Richmond. Additionally, Meharry applies for grants.

So while paperwork and meetings aren't all that glamorous,that's really the part of Meharry's legacy that deserves the spotlight, Olin said.

"You need someone dedicated enough to do that and he was and still is," Olin said.

Meharry describes himself as someone with "no nerves", but Olin calls his longtime colleague "sentimental" about the old days.

He recalls when the department didn't have any turnout gear or breathing apparatuses. Instead they went out in rubber suits "looking like theGloucester fisherman."

"The world is changing and we need to change with it but he knows how it use to be," Olin said.

Meharry has always been quick to jump into a new challenge, often filling a gap or solving a problem.

In 1975, the Wingate fire department received a grant to pay for afirefighter's emergency medical training. Meharry immediately volunteered.

"I raised my hand and said, 'What's an EMT?'" Meharry said.

That October, Meharry's 2-year-old son, Alex, ran into the street in front of their Wingatehome and was hit by a car. The ink on Meharry's EMT certification was barely dry and he had no medical supplies to work with. His only option was to wait for an ambulance to travel 20 minutes from Attica.

"By the time we got to Lafayette I was not happy," he said.

His son didn't survive the accident.

"That's when I joined up with the old Linden volunteer ambulance service," Meharry said.

For years Meharry was one of three people running the 24-hour ambulance service. Now, a first responderclass is mandatory for Meharry's team. The department pays for the 60-hour course.

The time commitment can be a turn off for new recruits, Meharry said.

"They think all you got to do is show up and we hand you a hose and you squirt water," he said. "It doesn't work that way anymore."

Firefighters, especially in rural areas,do so much more than run into burning buildings

Last year, 46 of the 57emergency calls into Coal Creek were medical related, Meharry said. So even thoughthe state doesn't mandate it, Coal Creek firefighters are required to take180 plus hours in courses that cover everything from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to suicide prevention.

That time commitment can be a big deterrent for families with two working parents.

Unlike the old days, many of the volunteers have factory jobsrather than self-employed small business owners or farmers. It's harder to drop everything and go when you're reporting to a shift manager.

The crew has shrunk from 26 to 18 firefighters over the past few years but Meharry has no plans of leaving anytime soon.

At 76, he vows to keep serving as chief until he "doesn't enjoy it anymore".

"Everyone gives me the devil and says 'you're too old to be fighting fires,'" he said. "I don't fight fires anymore. That's why I wear the white hat. I tell them what to do."

Contact Journal & Courier reporter Lindsay Moore at 765-420-5205, lrmoore@jconline.com and follow heron Twitter:@_lindsaymoore.

New Richmond fire chief celebrates 50 years as volunteer firefighter (2024)
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