Northside Fire trio hanging up turnouts

PONDERAY — In total, they represent 113 years of service and dedication.

Northside's Eric Parker, a lieutenant with the fire district, retired this past fall; Chief Brad Mitton's last day is Sunday, Dec. 31; and longtime volunteer, captain, and fire commissioner Ray Yaw retires in mid-January.

Mitton has served as Northside chief for 20-plus years, starting two weeks before his son Jarrett was born. He began as a volunteer when he was 25, working his way up the department. In total, he has served 41 years with the fire district.

Yaw has held almost every position at the fire district, serving as everything from volunteer to captain to commissioner. His last day as commissioner will be at the Jan. 17 meeting, capping a 48-year career with Northside.

Parker, one of the district's lieutenants before his retirement, served with the Northside for 24 years, showing up on calls and rarely missing a training. 

"The common theme between these three men is that they all give a lot to their community," Northside Fire District Commissioner Vern Roof said.

An open-house-style retirement celebration for Mitton, Parker, and Yaw is being held today from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 30196 Highway 200. All are invited to attend and pay tribute to the trio.

Roof said the department and community wanted to do something to honor the trio and their service.

"We just wanted something where all these people whose lives have been touched by these gentlemen, or if they just wanted to come in and say congratulations and good luck in retirement, they can come in and [do so]," he added.

The department is richer for having had the trio serving Northside, and all will be deeply missed.

All are "really good guys who would give anybody the shirt off their back," Roof said. "It's testimony to the fact that they believe in what they were doing. It was a calling for them."

Roof said he and the other Northside Fire commissioners appreciate their time working with Mitton, Yaw, and Parker. Each of the trio is a dedicated firefighter, working hard to keep their community safe.

"Volunteerism is prevalent in so much of our society … but being a volunteer firefighter, it almost takes it to the next step because you're giving up the possibility of holidays," Roof said. "When that alarm goes off, you're coming in."

While volunteers receive a small stipend, it isn't much. Their dedication comes from helping and serving the community.

"You have to want to do it," Roof said. "All these guys showed up wanting to be volunteers; nobody dragged them to the firehouse, trying to get them to do it. Not only did they do it for one year, two years, three years; they did it for decades."

First formed as an association in 1961, Northside can trace its start to Yaw and his father watching helplessly as a neighbor's house burned. Outside of a fire protection district, there was little they could do. Yaw's dad was determined that that would never happen again.

He banded together with friends, acquired a 1950 Army surplus truck, and welded a 500-gallon tank onto it; it would be Northside's first fire engine.

In its early days, Northside was all volunteer; it is now a combination department, with six paid staff along with a host of volunteer firefighters. Those first years saw Northside ask homeowners to pay $5 each, leading to an annual budget of $1,000. It now has a more secure source of funding as a taxing district.

At first, emergency calls came in via the phone with the first firefighter racing to the scene while a family member called the next firefighter on the list, creating a "chain link" system until all volunteers had been called. Now, crews are dispatched to all emergencies, from fires to accidents to rescues.

The district covers 115 square miles with four stations, from Sandpoint city limits to north Ponderay and Kootenai, and from Trout Creek and Highway 95 north to the Bonner County line.

Over the years, as both the city and the population grew, Northside began responding to other calls — among them accidents, rescues, and medical. Fire crews found training, either at other departments or with someone certified to teach a class, and brought them in, often as part of a combined effort with neighboring fire districts.

"Our bottom line is that we need to take care of our people, our constituents out there," Mitton said.

It takes both the district's paid staff and its volunteers to keep the community safe, Mitton said.

"I can only say great things about the volunteers, and they were a big part of this and they still are, and I totally respect that side of it," the fire chief said. "We have paid staff, and we're a part of that also, but when you're a volunteer and you give up a lot of your time and you're away from your family. It just means a lot to me and our community. It takes teamwork to make all that happen and make a difference."

Perhaps the biggest change was going from an all-volunteer department and working hard to make ends meet to having some paid staff, better equipment, and a better budget. Training and response time have improved, and Northside has mutual aid agreements with neighboring fire departments.

What he — and the other firefighters — come away with from their service is not so much specific incidents as knowing they have made a difference. It's in their blood, the fire chief said, to help people and to take care of their community.

"I think I remember some of the fires we've had, some of the rescues I've been involved in, and that kind of stuff; maybe a couple of special memories and a couple of rescues that were really important," Mitton said. "It was being able to make a difference."

He remembers long-time volunteers telling him that the department was looking for volunteers, saying they thought he would be a great addition. Mitton said he remembers being invited by a former fire chief to help burn a garage down as part of a training exercise.

"We were doing air pack training, and when I came out, the first thing they all got together, the officers back in those days, and said, 'You know what? We think he's going to make it,'" Mitton said. "That was kind of cool to hear that from those guys."

Mitton praised Yaw and Parker, saying his hat was off to both, saying their support, commitment, and love for their community helped make Northside what it is today.

"I have nothing but respect for both of them," he added.

While he is always available to answer questions and help out, Mitton said he is looking forward to spending time with his family and continuing to serve on the Ponderay City Council.

"I think I'm going to miss some of the stuff. I'm going to miss some of the crew members and the things we did together," Mitton said. "I enjoy what I do; I've enjoyed the opportunity the board has given me."

He plans to continue being part of the community and making a difference, albeit in a different way.

"I would just want to tell everybody to put our positive stuff out there and make a difference," Mitton said. "We have little glitches here and there, but let's get together and work and help each other out and fix it; actually, be positive. Like I say, whatever you start out with, that's what you usually finish up with. You start out positive; you'll end up positive."

Be, Mitton said, part of the solution.

"Let's go help somebody," he added.

    Mitton
  

    Yaw
  

    Parker