One of the longest serving firefighters in the history of Hanover has attended his last call. John Schroeder, who joined the team in Kleefeld in spring of 1989, has retired after 32 years of service.

Schroeder says what fuelled his desire to be a firefighter were the stories he heard from his brother-in-law who served with the Steinbach Fire Department. He tried joining the Kleefeld Department in the '80s but was told they could not hire him because his phone was a party line. Eventually, they got a private line and he was handed his turnout gear. Schroeder says he joined at the beginning of May 1989, the day they celebrated his son's first birthday. This was the first of many birthday celebrations that Schroeder would be called away from.

Schroeder says in 32 years, there have been many big changes to equipment and the role itself. He recalls putting on his boots for his inaugural call.

"My boots on that first call were so big that I had to drag my feet so I wouldn't step out of them," he says. "I went home with a huge blister."

eir firefighters are trained to the provincial requirement of certified Level 1, while some have their Level 2.

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Of the hundreds of calls that Schroeder responded to over the years, he notes there are a few that stand out.

"I often recall a head-on collision where we extricated the young, unconscious driver," he recalls. "In order to assess the level of consciousness I asked her to squeeze my fingers and she responded. It saddens me to think that I may have been the last one to connect with this casualty."

He notes they have attended some major grass fires over the years in the southern portion of the municipality, which put barns and residences at risk. Hanover crews worked with water bombers, enduring intense heat and smoke, strong winds and exhausting hours.

Not all calls have been of the serious variety. Schroeder says they were once asked to rescue an iguana from a tree. On another occasion, they attempted to round up wild boars in a field.

Then there was the one drill night when they were paged to a fire at a business across the street from the hall.

"We all jumped up and ran across the street before realizing that we weren't dressed and had no equipment," says Schroeder. "We ran back to get dressed and take the trucks when it registered that this was a planned drill. We failed miserably."

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So what motivates someone to jump out of bed in the middle of the night to fight a barn fire or respond to a motor vehicle collision?

"I thrived on the adrenaline rush," admits Schroeder. "Our family farm didn't offer the camaraderie and teamwork that I experienced with the department, that encouraged me to want to do more for the community and for those in need."

Schroeder says their entire team had the same goal of being safe and working hard in earnest.

"You knew someone always had your back," he says. "It is an amazing brotherhood."

Prior to his retirement, Schroeder was serving as District Chief. Paul Wiebe, Chief for the Hanover Fire Department says he will be missed.

"I'm going to miss his continued support," says Wiebe. "He was one of the guys I could always count on, I could bounce ideas off of and I could talk to and get advice from."

Wiebe credits Schroeder as being instrumental in the expansion of the hall in Kleefeld, acquiring the first set of Jaws of Life in Hanover, launching their EMR program and establishing their training centre.

"He has served not only thirty-two years but he has served it with distinction," says Wiebe. "There is a lot of projects that he spearheaded and they have been just very instrumental in getting this department to where it is today."

Without a pager at his side, life will be different for Schroeder. He looks forward to more time for grandchildren, woodworking, fishing, camping, golfing and hopefully travel one day soon. But, life has already been different for Schroeder since late last year. On December 3rd, a freak accident crushed his left leg. Twenty-four hours later he had surgery to repair breaks on his tibia, fibula and femur. Schroeder says he was on painkillers for a few weeks until he realized he had no pain.

"I'm a praying man, so while I was waiting for EMS to pick me up, I prayed for no pain, quick healing and patience," he recalls. "What a blessing, I got all three."