One of the longest-serving firefighters in southwest Bartholomew County is retiring.
Rick Trimpe, 58, has spent 42 years on the Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department, with 30 of those years as fire chief. A meeting will be held this month to choose a new chief, Trimpe said.
“He has been a great asset to the town of Jonesville, to Wayne Township, and to all of Bartholomew County,” said Roger Johnson, a former state fire marshal who has been associated with local firefighters for more than 50 years. “Rick is a good man, and has been a very, very dedicated firefighter.”
Perhaps best known as maintenance director of all Bartholomew County-owned buildings, Trimpe developed his passion for firefighting naturally. His father, the late Larry R. Trimpe, was also a firefighter with the same organization when it was known as the Jonesville Volunteer Fire Department.
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However, the older Trimpe did not have all the current mandates governing volunteer firefighters that his son has worked within.
“They want you to be like a big city fire department, but that’s hard to do when the volunteers don’t have the money,” Rick Trimpe said.
It is also frustrating for all rural fire departments who deal with township boards and trustees in smaller and less affluent areas, he said.
“I know they aren’t getting large amounts of money like some big townships,” Trimpe said. “But when you tell (advisory boards and trustees) you need something — and they keep telling you the township can’t afford it — it’s hard to do the job when you don’t have the equipment to keep you safe.”
Equipment can range from personal protective equipment that must be replaced at least every 10 years to dependable fire trucks, he said.
It is also increasingly difficult to recruit new volunteer firefighters as fewer employers allow a worker to leave to answer an emergency call, he said.
Those same problems and frustrations are taking place at all rural fire departments across the nation, Johnson said.
Nevertheless, Trimpe says he’ll miss being a firefighter because he had found a great satisfaction in saving lives and protecting property in his community.
And after 42 years, Trimpe said the best reward is a hug from a rescued child or a heartfelt “thank you” from a homeowner.
