Morrison Fire Department volunteers are a stable group; vacancies can take years to occur. Earlier this year two members retired, and one moved away. They were replaced with three 2015 Probationary Members. One man, Devin Lewis, began his probation in February, after replacing his father, Mike. Lewis has left the department to attend Paramedic School in Las Vegas, NV. After two years of training, he plans to test for a paid fire department position in southern Nevada or California.
This fall MFD returned to a full complement of 30 volunteers. Lewis’s replacement is Tony Belha, 30 of Morrison, IL. He is wearing Lewis’s former helmet #16.
During an interview at the station, 206 W. Main Street, Morrison, IL, on Monday, November 9, Belha described how he became the newest Probationary Member. He stated, “I knew a couple firefighters. I had always considered it. [Fireman] Brian Tichler said something about needing names for applications. I talked a lot with [Firemen] Boone Brackemyer and Brian. I saw I could be a good fit, and I thought I would apply.” So, he did in August and was approved September 16.
“The night I got on, I got fitted for boots, bibs, a coat, and helmet. I got new gloves.” He already put them to use, at a controlled burn at a house in Erie, IL, with Tichler. “Erie Fire Protection District” held the learning event. “Both [he and Tichler] participated in full gear and air masks. Each room had a small fire set to be put out.” The circumstances were different.
How did he feel in those situations? “It was exciting, but I was able to stay calm. I watched how the fire started, progressed, and built. I could feel the heat of the fire. It was pretty interesting,” he concluded.
He and the two other Probationary Members are in training and must come to the station each Monday for the first year. Trainings can be about “anything.” New men “get to know the engines and equipment that is available to use,” and they “clean up. We sweep the truck bay, pick up, [make it] look nice.”
They department, he explained, practices a system of “extreme check and balance. We run equipment and generators each month, check extrication equipment, and start the engines. We service our own trucks and air tanks.” The goal is to be ever ready. “The first ones here go on a call; others stay and control the base and communicate.” He knows the procedure: “Start the truck; get on gear; get out of here!”
Tony Belha is married to Ashley. She works with Ashford University’s Online Program. Son Robert will be two years old on Monday, November 30. The Belhas will welcome a second son in January 2016. The fireman-in-training works for his father, Steve, on the farm.
Belha praised the Morrison Fire Department saying, “They’re great people!”