The Superior Fire Department rung in 2020 with a new building, a new chief, a new fire truck and new technology that will take their work into the digital cloud.
It’s a young crew heading into the new year. Half the department has been there five years or less. Firefighters in their 20s outnumber firefighters in their 50s by 10-to-1.
“The most senior person is not 50 years old — that has never happened in the history of the fire department," said Fire Chief Scott Gordon, 49.
The loss of experience is a challenge, he said.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, the department lost a cumulative 80 years of experience when former Fire Chief Steve Panger, Battalion Chief Steve Edwards and Captain Dave Johnson retired.