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Joe Houle — 50 years and still going strong |
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Monday, 24 December 2007 |
Cliff Buchan
News Editor
When Joe Houle signed up to fight fires in Forest Lake, he looked at the volunteer duty as something to take one year at a time. One year became two and two became three and on it has gone. Now it’s 50 years for Houle who was honored by his peers and family at a Forest Lake Fire & Rescue appreciation dinner last week.
It was a special day, too, as the Forest Lake City Council had officially proclaimed Tuesday, Dec. 18 as Joe Houle Day in Forest Lake.
Fire Chief Gary Sigfrinius said Houle, 78, may well hold the record as the state resident with the longest tenure of fire service. No one knows for sure, Sigfrinius said, because state records are not kept.
There is one thing he could say without qualification. “This milestone is so incredible,” the chief said.
Houle, a lifelong Forest Lake resident, gave credit to his family for supporting the many hours he has spent in fire service and their sacrifice for the numerous important family functions that he has missed when the fire department was called out.
But Houle also gave thanks to his firefighters in arms who filled Forest Hills last week — current members and retired volunteers — to recognize Houle’s milestone.
“This is what keeps me going,” Houle said, giving thanks to his comrades for their spirit and efforts in fire service. For new recruits and younger members, Houle encouraged them to continue their service.
“Every year I’d say I would go another year,” he said last week. “Now it’s 50 years.”
It came naturally
That Joseph M. Houle is a firefighter comes as no surprise. His father, his grandfather and a brother all served in Forest Lake.
In fact, Joe Houle’s grandfather, Joseph W. Houle, was a key founder of the department in 1903 and its first secretary.
“My grandfather started the whole thing,” Houle said.
Joe’s father, Ray Houle, spent 20 years on the department and Joe’s brother, Bob, also logged 20 plus years of service.
That Joe Houle has endured 50 years is a mystery to many, including Joe Houle himself. “I don’t know why,” he says with a smile.
Houle’s service time could have been longer, too, had it not been for a business decision. In the early 1950s after serving in the Air Force, Joe Houle returned home and went to work for his father who owned Houle Grocery. His brother also worked in the downtown market after returning home from Army service.
Bob Houle had already joined the fire department and the decision was made that at least two Houles were needed to keep the store running.
Joined in 1957
It didn’t take long for Joe Houle to join, however.
It happened after the Houle home was hit by a minor fire. It was a cold winter night and Ray Houle was burning paper in the fireplace (not a good practice, Joe Houle says) and embers that left the chimney ignited shingles on the roof.
As Joe Houle recalls, the late Roy Bixby, who was on the department, saw the flames and came to the Houle home to alert the family. Bixby and the elder Houle went to the village hall to commandeer a fire truck. With clear signs that the fire was in the attic, the two men turned to the younger Houle.
“They gave me a pump-can and I went into the attic. I put out the fire with the pump-can.”
Houle said he was impressed seeing firsthand what someone fighting a fire can do. “It really hit home what a benefit a fire department can be,” he said. “That was my first fire and I was a firefighter.”
By Dec. 30, 1957, Houle had officially joined the Forest Lake Fire Department.
Amazing journey
Houle says he never envisioned that his fire career would span 50 years with no immediate sign that it is going to end anytime soon.
When he joined in 1957, firemen had to stay in for 15 years to be vested for retirement. It soon changed to 20 years and Houle kept the retirement service time as a personal goal to achieve.
“When 20 years came, I thought I was doing good,” he said. “All of a sudden the years were sliding by and now it’s 50 years.”
His brother, who went on to serve as city administrator and on the city council, has long since retired and now living in Arizona. He is 76.
Duty in 2007
In his duties today, Sigfrinius has tabbed Houle as safety officer.
Still, however, Houle is one of the most reliable firefighters on the department. He rarely misses a fire call (he has made 97 percent of the department’s calls this year and made all the calls in the first quarter) and his attendance at meetings and drills is on par with his fire call totals.
As safety officer, Houle is holding down just one of the many leadership positions that he has filled in parts of six decades.
He was fire chief for four years and today will take on any task he is asked to do.
Sigfrinius, the department’s first full-time fire chief, said Houle’s experience is invaluable and he is a model for younger firefighters to copy. Houle remains his sounding board when he needs help or advice, Sigfrinius said.
The city proclamation wasn’t the only honor coming Joe Houle’s way last week.
He was presented with a framed letter written and signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, saluting him for his service. Houle was also given a $175 gift certificate to purchase a tree from Forestland Nursery in keeping with Houle’s love of trees.
Houle says he has witnessed much in his 50 years. From improved equipment and stronger training, the fire service is far superior today, he says.
He marvels at what volunteers could accomplish in the early years. “We had one tanker on an old World War II Army surplus truck when I joined,” he said. “We did a lot of work with what we had.”
The Forest Lake man says he takes pride in his past association with so many volunteers and working in a service that can save lives and protect property when fire strikes.
Few can boast of fighting fires along side three generations of one family, but Houle can. Bruce Wightman, deputy fire chief, is a Houle peer today, but when Joe Houle joined in 1957, Bruce’s father, Albert Wightman, was one of the older veterans who helped take Houle under his wing as a mentor and model.
In recent years, Houle also served with Bruce’s son, Josh, who was a volunteer in Forest Lake for a time.
Houle says he will continue to serve with the full support of his wife of 43 years, Carla. “I would never have lasted this long without her support,” he said.
How long that last may be up to how he feels, but his health is good and he wants no special treatment.
“As long as I feel I’m useful,” he says. “When that time comes, I’ll retire.”
For now Joe Houle will continue under his tried and proven method of taking it one year at a time. It is also part of a commitment he made to the fire service in 1957.
“I said I’d do it and I’m going to do it.”
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