After 24 years with the Bozeman Fire Department, Battalion Chief Mark Criner is retiring this week.
He said it wasn’t an easy decision for him to make.
Being a part of the Bozeman community with the fire department is something Criner has enjoyed. He says being a part of this team is something he’ll truly miss.
“The family aspect of the fire department, you always have other guys to go to and it’s one big family,” Criner said. “My sons grew up with not just me as a father but 20 other guys who watched out for them and gave them advice.”
Criner said the growth over the years has been something exciting for him to watch. When he started with the Fire Department, they took 600 calls that year and they’re now at 5,000.