It wasn’t long after Rick Abraham moved to Montana City in 1988 that the local volunteer fire department recruited him to become a firefighter.
After three decades with the department, including 19 as fire chief, Abraham decided now is the time to retire, although he remains with the department as an assistant chief.
For a community that has seen extensive growth during his career, it is also a time for him to reflect on the changes he has seen and the accomplishments along the way, as well as the challenges facing rural departments. “When I started, it was almost more of a social club – when only had six calls that year,” he said. “They did take those calls seriously and they trained, but the equipment was old, hand-made or hand-me-down.”