Fort Dodge firefighters honored during Cruise Night
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <br> Casey Johnson, left, co-owner of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota, holds a plaque he presented to the Fort Dodge Fire Department Friday evening after proclaiming the city’s firefighters as the Heroes of the Cruise during the cruise night held at the dealership. Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter, right, speaks to those gathered at the event.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <br> This 1941 Willys coupe was among the vehicles on display during the Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Ja-Mar Cruise Night Friday evening. Ken Walsh, of Coalville, built it from an empty shell he found near Sigourney. He said he bought it in 2002, and it took 10 years to restore the car to the condition it is in today. He got the floor and frame from a junkyard in Arizona and fabricated many parts himself. The car is powered by a Chrysler 392 Hemi super charged engine.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <br> Casey Johnson, left, co-owner of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota, holds a plaque he presented to the Fort Dodge Fire Department Friday evening after proclaiming the city’s firefighters as the Heroes of the Cruise during the cruise night held at the dealership. Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter, right, speaks to those gathered at the event.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <br> This 1941 Willys coupe was among the vehicles on display during the Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Ja-Mar Cruise Night Friday evening. Ken Walsh, of Coalville, built it from an empty shell he found near Sigourney. He said he bought it in 2002, and it took 10 years to restore the car to the condition it is in today. He got the floor and frame from a junkyard in Arizona and fabricated many parts himself. The car is powered by a Chrysler 392 Hemi super charged engine.
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A fire truck or ambulance roaring by with lights and sirens going attracts a lot of attention.
But after that rig disappears from view, many people don't give much thought to their local fire department.
"We don't think about them enough," said Casey Johnson, co-owner of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota.
That's why on Friday he proclaimed the Fort Dodge firefighters and paramedics as the Heroes of the Cruise during the Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Ja-Mar Cruise Night.
"God bless our firefighters," Johnson said during a short presentation during the Cruise Night. "You move forward when others move back. You're always the first in and the last out."
He described the diverse role of the Fire Department, which includes providing paramedic level ambulance service, responding to hazardous materials emergencies, and performing water rescues and technical rescues.
"There's lots of EMT lifesaving things they do for the community," he said. "It's not just about putting out fires."
The Fire Department responds to about 5,500 calls a year.
He presented a plaque to Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter.
Hergenreter said the firefighters and paramedics consider it an "honor and privilege to serve the community."
The Cruise Night is held once a month in the summer. A Hero of the Cruise is named during the July cruise each year.