Thanks to a wave of retirements as baby boomers age out of the workforce, Albert Lea Fire & Rescue has a crop of newer faces behind the wheel and the hose.

Full-time firefighter Matt Levorson was out to find a different experience than the one he was currently in with a video production business.

“I was looking for a 180 change,” he said. “… This just, it kind of fell into place and sort of happened.”

Some, including Levorson, had previous experience as fire department members elsewhere. Levorson and a handful of others were firefighters for Albert Lea Township before the departments merged in 2016.

Josh Hall, full-time in Albert Lea, came after working as a paid on-call firefighter in Austin. He wanted the opportunity to further his career, so he applied for the position in Albert Lea when it opened up.

Paid on-call firefighter Ryan Grimmius said he likes the action and training the job gives him.

“I’ve always been a thrill-seeker,” he said.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Laskowske, it is unusual for a department of their size to have as many recent hires as they have. In the last three years, Laskowske said he has hired six full-time firefighters and 11 paid on-call firefighters.

“We are spending a lot of time in training,” he said.

Additionally, the team is spending its time getting to know each other. As paid on-call firefighters see each other less frequently than full-time firefighters, Laskowske said the department is making a concerted effort to build relationships among team members.

But the newer group is an exciting thing, too, Laskowske said.

“It’s kind of fun when you have that new group, a lot of new faces, because everybody’s ready to rock and roll and everybody wants to learn,” Laskowske said.

Ryan Grimmius

Age: 38

Hometown: Marshalltown, Iowa

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid-on-call or full-time: Paid on-call

Interests, hobbies: Playing with my kids, watching movies/TV with my wife

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: 1 1/2 years

Family: Wife, Molly; children Anne, Peter, Henry and Joy

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

Looking for a career where I can help people, have fun learning and work with some great people.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Favorite: Training.

Least favorite: Seeing people lose houses.

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

Already lived here, knew some of the paid on-call and was encouraged by them to join.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

Training with great people and sharing stories.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

Mentally and physically challenging.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

Become full-time.

Feel free to add anything else you’d like people to know about you or your job.

My wife and kids have been a huge support for me. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them.

Josh Hall

Age: 32

Hometown: Austin

Current town of residence: Austin

Paid-on-call or full-time: Full-time

Interests, hobbies: Snowmobiling, swimming, lifting weights

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: Six months

Family: Wife, Kari; son, Dawson, 2; daughter, Hayden, 1 week

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

Career change. Started out as part-time job, decided that I want this to be my profession.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Favorite: Being part of a team. Working on group dynamics and accomplishing various tasks.

Least favorite: Some calls are difficult to forget. Some homes we enter are real (expletive).

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

I was pursuing a position of full-time firefighter and I was able to get placed on ALFR eligibility list and was granted a second interview and was offered a position after I completed my pre-employment screenings.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

It’s difficult to pick one, but when you use the skills to save a life that’s pretty memorable.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

In a year we are away from our families four months. We have a lot of required training that is continually evolving and skills and tactics are always being adapted to our “tool box.”

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

To finish my career healthy, and possibly as an officer. Obtain my AAS degree in fire science.

Matt Levorson

Age: 37

Hometown: Albert Lea

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid-on-call or full-time: Full-time

Interests, hobbies: Running my business, Matt Leverson productions; golf, pontoon cruising

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: 2 1/2 years

Family: Wife, Carissa; parents Ron and Gail Levorson

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

To do something different and learn new skills.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Like: Training and responding to calls, plus being together as a shift and working to accomplish our goal.

Dislike: Seeing people hurt, die or lose things that are important to them.

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

It’s where I live. I wasn’t going to work for any other department.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

Too many to list, but one that stands out was receiving a lifesaving award for saving someone’s life. That was powerful.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

There is so much that we need to know and figure out. No two calls are the same.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

I would like to continue to learn and grow as a firefighter, but one day move into the leadership ranks at the department.

Feel free to add anything else you’d like people to know about you or your job.

It’s challenging and rewarding. You get a good feeling when you help people.

JT Bellrichard

Age: 26

Hometown: Albert Lea

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid-on-call or full-time: Paid on-call

Interests, hobbies: Hunting/fishing, spending time with family, cooking

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: 2 1/2 years

Family: Fiancee, Frances Swenson; mom, Tracie Bellrichard; dad, Ed Bellrichard; brothers Tanner and Trent Bellrichard

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

Talked into it as a part-time job and found a passion for the fire service and giving back to the community I have grown up in.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Favorite: Working as a team for a common goal

Least would be not being here as much as I would like, getting experience like the full-time staff get.

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

Lived in Albert Lea my whole life.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

Getting to work with many different people, and use everyone’s different skills to put out a house fire.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

Many different aspects besides just putting out fires, such as medicals, water rescue, building inspections, welfare checks, motor vehicle crashes and the many skills that go along with them.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

Hope to one day turn into a career in the fire service/become full-time.

Mitch Mulder

Age: 33

Hometown: Renville

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid on-call or full-time: Paid on-call

Interests, hobbies: Gun hobbyist, love camping, playing with my kids

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: one year, three months

Family: Wife, two daughters and one on the way

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

Father was a firefighter (volunteer) my entire life, that got me into this very rewarding line of work.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Favorite: Love learning how to use new equipment and being good at it.

Least favorite: calls can come in any time of the day (i.e. 2 a.m.).

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

We recently moved to Albert Lea; being already trained as a firefighter and EMT, I wanted to continue as being a member of a fire department.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

Love doing fire prevention training with any group of people, especially kids.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

It can be very demanding for very short bursts of time, lots of training hours.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

Continue my role as is, continue to learn new things, if opportunities arise I will address them at that time.

Jedadiah Lokken

Age: 25

Hometown: Albert Lea

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid on-call or full-time: Full-time

Interests, hobbies: Riding motorcycle, spending time with dogs and family

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: Full-time two years in June; part-time two years prior. Started 2014

Family: Girlfriend, Hannah; son, Elijah; expecting one more; mom and dad Julie and Brian; brother and sister Jeremiah and Jessica

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Favorites: Camaraderie. You establish a bond with the guys on your shift, they become your second family.

Educating the younger population and giving them knowledge and “tools” to use in case of an emergency.

Least favorite: Finding something to make for supper

Anything with a negative outcome is never a good thing.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

“Saving” a picnic table from Fountain Lake

Being offered the opportunity to work full-time for ALFR.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

We train very hard to be professionals at our job.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

I am excited to continue learning and see what the future has in store for me.

Nick Schiltz

Age: 27

Hometown: Glenville

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid-on-call or full-time: Paid on-call

Interests, hobbies: Crossfit, running marathons, playing sports, teaching farming, restoring antique tractors, spending time with friends, going to concerts

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: one year, seven months

Family: Leon Schiltz, Polly Schiltz, Katie Schiltz

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

They were my heroes growing up.

I was looking for a change in life.

I wanted to serve my community.

I wanted to make a very positive contribution to my community.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Favorites: Variety of responsibility.

Degree of coordination and comprehension concerning handling certain situations.

Being able to be there for the community I love.

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

Challenge.

Wanted to serve the community.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

We went on my first call for pile of garbage burning on Fountain Street. Captain Hanna walked out, stepped on the trash pile, the fire was extinguished and we went home.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

Fire isn’t the only thing we deal with. In any situation, there is a role for firefighters.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

You never know where the world may take you.

Feel free to add anything else you’d like people to know about you or your job.

It’s the greatest job in the world.

Brad Kramer

Age: 39

Hometown: Alexandria

Current town of residence: Albert Lea

Paid-on-call or full-time: Paid on-call

Interests, hobbies: Learning, learning to scuba dive, starting businesses, family and being on the lake

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: 2 1/4 years

Family: Wife, Lindsay Kramer; children Gemms, Mary and Josh Kramer and Joe and Courtney Kotzenmacher; granddaughter, Ellie

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

Help people, learn, camaraderie, adrenaline, career opportunity.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

The adrenaline and taking calculated risks.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

Going to the National Fire Academy in Maryland.

What should people know about being a firefighter?

POC members put a lot of hours in to train, learn and be available. We need more skills than most people realize. I’ve also been on two other departments and Albert Lea far exceeds the training and professionalism of my previous experiences.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

Continue to learn and serve in whatever capacity I have the opportunity to.

Feel free to add anything else you’d like people to know about you or your job.

The leadership and integrity within the department exceeds anything else I’ve ever experienced. Few jobs have leaders I’d follow in the way I am eager to follow Jeff and the other officers.

Brandi Hagen

Age: 29

Hometown: Twin Lakes

Current town of residence: Glenville

Paid-on-call or full-time: Paid on-call

Interests, hobbies: Photography, hunting, camping

Time with Albert Lea Fire & Rescue: Still in class — graduate in the spring

Family: Boyfriend, Zakry Krenz; parents Renea and Troy Hagen; sibling, Alex Hagen

Why did you decide to become a firefighter?

I had encouraged a couple people to join other departments, and thought maybe I should try myself. I had gear on at a station in Iowa as a kid. I think maybe that sparked my interest and it just never really was a conscious thought until now.

What is one of your favorite things about being a firefighter? What about your least favorite?

Being part of a team. Eve though I’m still in class, the camaraderie that has happened between my classmates of mixed fire departments, kind of surprises me. I didn’t know my family would expand so quickly.

Why did you come to the fire department in Albert Lea?

My boyfriend was hired as a volunteer for Glenville Fire, and so I thought it was neat we get to be involved with two departments. Also, my business and my day job are here so I like to stay involved in this community.

Share a good memory from your time as a firefighter.

I’m still new, but the first time I saw my name on a locker in the apparatus bay with my very own turnout gear — I had to pinch myself and make sure it was real.

What are your goals for your future as a firefighter?

I’m excited to get on a shift and see how it all goes. If it goes well, maybe a full-time career could come of it.