Bartel’s guidance appreciated
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Editor,
I would like to congratulate volunteer Fire Captain Tom Bartel of the Ronan Volunteer Fire Department on his 44 years of dedicated service to the community of Ronan and citizens of Lake County. After 44 years of being at the beck and call of a pager, Tom decided to retire. Forty-four years of volunteer service is a milestone very few individuals will ever reach and it should be acknowledged and celebrated. Tom began his tenure with the fire department in 1972. He rose through the ranks to become Fire Chief, a position he held for a number of years. As I am sure Tom can attest, many things have changed in those 44 years but his dedication to this community and the fire department was not one of them.
Even though my time working with Tom was short, his guidance and enthusiasm was not lost to me. He is a great mentor and friend that I will surely miss at the fire scene. It’s a loss to the incoming firefighters who won’t get a chance to work with guys like Tom. He is one of the last in a generation that operated differently than today. I wish Tom the best in his future endeavors and salute him for his service.
Corey Kamarainen
Ronan
