Two of Osage’s long-time volunteer firefighters, Brian Fangmeier and Gene Evans, have nearly 75 combined years of firefighting experience. Over those years, the two have seen many changes in the Osage Fire Department. Fangmeier is a second generation firefighter who followed in the footsteps of his dad, David. David served with three volunteer departments in the state including the Osage Department where he served from 1957 to 1969. Fangmeier’s son, Jayden, who is a senior at Osage High School, became Osage’s first Junior Fire Fighter in 2017. Fangmeier’s wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Rachel, who is a junior at OHS, have both sacrificed so the Fangmeier men can serve their community as firefighters. “When I joined the force, we didn’t have the Jaws of Life or Hazardous Material Response Training, for hazardous spills,” Fangmeier said. “We just had four trucks, two pumpers and two tankers. Today, our training is much more detailed, our pumper and air pack training is much more detailed.”