The next time Wade Ralph walks out of the Marion City Fire Department, it will be the last time.
Ralph, the public information officer and firefighter with Marion City, is heading into retirement nearly 30 years after starting his career. The countdown to entering retirement begins Wednesday with a full 24-hour clock as he finishes up his last ever shift as a firefighter.
Though he said he is looking forward to riding off into the Florida sunset, he will still miss the adrenaline rush that comes with fighting fires. For Ralph, fighting fires was his favorite part of the job. He said there was no feeling comparable to kicking down a door and entering a home that is on fire. And throughout his lengthy career with the fire department, Ralph had plenty of chances to fight fires and rescue people from inside their homes.