Two Petoskey firefighters have a combined 85 years of service in community
PETOSKEY, MI -- The two men you're about to meet have a lot of fires under their belts and the fuel to firefighting has burned for a very, very long time.
In Petoskey, if you have a problem, they'll be the first ones there and the last ones to hang it up.
“I've been with the fire department for 45 years plus," said William Hansen.
“39 and a half years," said John page.
In this case, a picture is worth one-thousand words, and counting the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's, and today, probably one-thousand stories. William Hansen and John Page have been fighting fires alongside each other for decades.
“Oh I have no idea, I would have no, absolutely no idea, a lot of them, a lot of them, they all stick with you, but a lot," said Hansen.
“Something different everyday!" said Page.
Page is a full-time Petoskey Public Safety Firefighter, and spends his days at the fire hall and helps fix up the trucks. During the day, Hansen works at the family grocery store, and is always ready to roll when the fire tone sounds.
“They've got a lot of fires under their belts, a lot of emergency situations, and they're the kind of guys when things are really chaotic, they're calm, they know what to do, and they get it done," explained Petoskey DPS Director John Calabrese.
And the two say they do it because it’s only right to help when things go wrong.
"You save life and property; it has to do something for you," admitted Hansen.
“I can't think of two other people who would be more worthy as being recognized as hometown heroes because they truly are, they've been here their wholes lives, and they've devoted their lives to serving their community," said Calabrese.
And the thing is they're nowhere near hanging it up for good. Page doesn't even hang his gear up.
“Nope, not right now, nope, I’m going to stay a while," said Page.
“This is my love here, I like it, and I’m still able to do it, so I’ll stick with it for a while,” said Hansen.
For their more than 85 years of service and dedication to the community, the two men will be honored on September 11th by the Department of Public Safety.
