Mike Reeser was the kind of man to go above and beyond for his community, and not expect praise. “He had a hard time receiving ‘thank-yous,’” Sebastopol Fire Department Chief Bill Braga said. “That’s just the personality he had. He would say, ‘Hey, I’m just doing my job.’”
After his 42 years as a volunteer firefighter in the Sebastopol area, Braga called him the backbone and foundation of his department. Reeser served as the Assistant Fire Chief for the Sebastopol Fire Department for 33 years, until his sudden passing a day before his 65th birthday Saturday.
Reeser’s interest in serving the community as a volunteer firefighter began with his father, who himself was a volunteer firefighter and on the board of directors for the Twin Hills Fire Department.
His 42-year career as a volunteer firefighter began in 1979, while he was still in high school, when Reeser volunteered as an Explorer for the Twin Hills Fire Department (now the Golden Ridge Fire Department) in West Sebastopol for three years.