Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
District serves Reardan and Edwall locals
REARDAN – Every summer, local fire districts are called on to help battle blazes that threaten to consume homes and property. In rural areas, those districts are largely made of volunteers who stand by their neighbors in a time of need. Fire District 4 is one of those districts.
On South Lake Street sharing a building with the post office lies the headquarters of Lincoln County Fire District No. 4. One of eight fire districts within the county, the district provides fire and emergency medical service response to its Reardan coverage area that includes Edwall and Waukon.
The district is mostly volunteer-based, with 39 volunteers and four paid staff, all of which are contracted.
The volunteer base includes paid staff that also volunteer outside their contracted hours and district commissioners Carol Paul, Casey Nonnemacher and John Bennett, according to district secretary Kathy Eastman.
District No. 4 Chief Ryan Rettkowski oversees the operation, which includes two stations in Reardan and Edwall and a fire and EMS captain at each station.
The major fire across Lincoln County this summer, as can be surmised, was the Whitney Road fire just west of Davenport, which broke out Labor Day weekend and engulfed 127,230 acres, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The district aided in fire relief, providing one truck and one tender to help with mutual aide in Davenport.
“We ended up doing a shift (system), because we were out for a good couple days until midnight,” Rettkowski said. “The following day, they requested mutual aide in Harrington (and) called us out to help them.”
After a day assisting in Harrington, which falls under Fire District No. 6, the district’s involvement with fighting the Whitney Road fire was complete.
“We definitely are all about helping our fellow districts, because they’ve helped us out numerous times,” Rettkowski said.
Rettkowski wasn’t on the front lines for that fire, but managed his crew from the station in Reardan, which was a difficult decision.
“It’s always a tough decision to make, when you have your own district to protect,” Rettkowski said. “(With) the high winds that day, I felt that it was in the best interest that I stayed and protect us.”
He said the firefighters who reported back to him said it was alarming how aggressive the fire was.
“With the wind and the push, it’s not something that we normally see,” Rettkowski said. “We usually are able to fight those fires fairly easily, or you can get a plane or helicopter on them … nothing could fly, nothing could help. You just try to protect structures to the best of your ability.”
Outside of the Whitney Road fire, it was a rather quiet summer for the district, Rettkowski and Eastman said.
“We have pretty quick response times, so when there is a fire (the volunteers) seem to knock them down pretty quick,” Eastman said. “We’re lucky we didn’t have one during those windy, windy days.”
Rettkowski estimated that the district responds to approximately 20 fires per year, which Eastman said sounds accurate. Rettkowski has been with the district since 1994, while Eastman has been in her position since 2009.
The most common non-fire related calls the district gets are for medical services, Rettkowski said.
“Most of ours are cardiovascular illness, the standard EMS call,” Rettkowski said.
The busiest time of year regarding call volume is the third quarter, Eastman estimated. The district pays bills on a quarterly system.
The most rewarding part of the job is being able to give back to the community, he said. Conversely, the toughest part of the job is making decisions where he’s not on the front lines, like the decision he had to make Labor Day Weekend.
“It’s very hard being a leader not being out there to see your people and … know that they’re safe,” Rettkowski said. “It’s my job to protect them to the best of my abilities, and it’s tough when I have to send people out and not be out there and involved in it.”
Eastman said the hardest part of the job comes with working in a small town: Oftentimes, the people who need help and are in tough situations are people she knows.
“That’s kind of hard, to see the hardships that people go through, whether it’s a fire or medical,” Eastman said.
Eastman said her favorite part of the job is the district’s group of volunteers, whom she praised.
“They all are there to help the community, and that’s a good thing to see,” Eastman said.
Rettkowski echoed the praise of the volunteer group.
“Being in the service for a long time, I’ve seen a lot of personnel, and I’m very proud to lead such a tight-knit group,” Rettkowski said. “It’s kind of like a second family.”
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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