Saturday, October 5, 2024 | Country Acres South • Page 1 PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #278 Madelia, MN 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave Sauk Centre MN 56378
SOUTH Saturday, S Sa turday, October 5, 2024
Volume 3, Edition 5
Focusing on Today’s Rural E Environme Environment
PHOTOS BY AMY Y KYLLO
Laceylyn and Rodney Merchlewitz sit on a vintage fire truck k Sept. 4 at the Ridgeway geway Fire Department ment in n Ridgeway. They y have been part of area rea fi fire re departments for or over 40 years combined.
Family firefighting
force
Merchlewitz fatherdaughter team serve on emergency services BY BEN SONNEK | STAFF WRITER
RIDGEWAY — For Rodney and Laceylyn Merchlewitz, fighting fires is a family affair. The father-daughter team have been part of multiple area fire departments for a combined over 40 years. Their involvement runs back into both of their childhoods. “What has kept me going is the community,” Rodney said. “People tell you, ‘Thank you guys so very much for coming.’ It’s great to be there for the people.” Rodney was raised on a farm near Homer. In his mid-teens, he worked for a local hog farmer, Kevin Spalding, who was on the Ridgeway, Pickwick and Winona fire departments. When he was called out for a fire, Rodney would often end up going with him. “I couldn’t join any departments until I was 18, but I could still go and help out,” Rodney said. “I couldn’t go into any fires, but people
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
need pop and water. … That’s stuff I did to help out.” Once Rodney turned 18, he signed onto the Ridgeway Fire Department Oct. 21, 1993. “Once I got on the fire department, it was full-blown, all-the-way-around helping out,” he said. “A couple of years later, in January of 1995, I became an emergency medical responder. Ever since that time, I have been firefighter and medical all the way through.” Today, Rodney is the assistant chief of the RFD. He also joined the Pickwick Fire Department nine years ago and the Winona Fire Department 13 years ago. Part of the reason he volunteered for the PFD was because Laceylyn had joined their explorer program. Growing up, Laceylyn would often join her dad on calls, which was what initially got her interested in joining a fire department. “I really liked helping people,” she said. “Especially with medical calls, I’d get to do a lot of patient care, and I really liked that patient relationship. … It’s nice to continue that relationship and know you are helping them as much as you can.”
Merchlewitz page 2
This month in the
COUNTRY: Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on November 2, 2024
Rodney Merchlewitz adjusts his helmet Sept. 4 at the Ridgeway Fire Department in Ridgeway. Merchlewitz joined the Ridgeway Fire Department on Oct. 21, 1993.
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