50 years of service: Tony Northern has been a part of the Miner Fire Department for 50 years

When Tony Northern was just a freshman in high school he began going along with his dad, who was a firefighter, to fire calls. Now 50 years later, Northern is still responding to fire calls as a member of Miner Fire Department.

“I enjoy the excitement,” Northern said of his 50 years as a firefighter. “I’ve always loved helping. I’ve always considered it a privilege to be able to help people that are in the need.”

In 1972, Northern was interested in firefighting, after seeing his father serve on the Miner Fire Department, led by then chief Harold Lewis.

Northern, who was just in the ninth grade, began asking his mother if he could go to fire calls with his dad.

“She finally agreed that I could go during the day or on the weekends,” Northern said. “I couldn’t go at night or anything like that. So I started going with my dad.”

That is when Northern’s experience with the fire department began. The teen was limited and couldn’t drive a fire truck or use air tanks, but he would help with hoses and do whatever he could to assist.

Then when he was 17, a new rule came down that you had to be 18 to be a firefighter. Northern laughed that he was “grandfathered in” and continued to serve as a firefighter.

After he got his license when he was 17, Northern began driving a fire truck and when he was 18 the law changed to require drivers of fire engines to be 21.

“I was grandfathered in again,” Northern laughed. “They weren’t strict when I started but the more years in I was in they got more strict on your age limits and your driving and all that.”

Changes

When Northern started, the Miner Fire Department was housed in the old school house. The school was turned into a fire station with two bays, one for the Miner fire truck and the other for the street department vehicle.

Since then, Miner has built a new fire station in it’s current location and the number of trucks has increased from one to five.

Northern said Miner now has a fire truck, a pumper, two brush trucks and a ladder truck.

The equipment has changed so much,” Northern said. “Now you’ve got regular fire trucks. Then you have fire trucks with foam and fire trucks with twice as much equipment.”

Memories

Northern said during his time as a Miner firefighter, the fire department has been fortunate to not have any fires where someone has died or been seriously injured, but there are plenty he remembers.

One fire that sticks out is when the Miner Fire Department gave mutual aid to Sikeston where they fought a fire all day and night.

But one day sticks out to Northern more than the rest.

It began innocently enough, when the fire department got a call of a truck on fire on H Highway. It just so happened that the truck that was on fire was owned by a Miner firefighter.

Northern was following behind the fire truck in his own vehicle on their way to the fire when there was a report of an accident on AA Highway.

Northern was sent back to get another fire truck and he was on his way to the accident when the inside tire blew on the truck, causing the water to shift as he was going around a curve on AA Highway. Northern said the truck raised up on two wheels, bounced back down and went on it’s side and went through the curve and into a field.

“The only thing I got out of it was two stitches and the guy who was in the truck with me ended up having a couple of ribs messed up but that was it,” Northern said. “There was a highway patrolman behind me and a friend was behind him. They all said I did nothing wrong. I was lucky I had them behind me to know I did nothing wrong.”

Come to find out, the accident they were responding to was another Miner firefighter who was forced off the road by a driver while responding to the initial truck fire call.

“The morale of the story is you didn’t want to be Scott Huff Insurance,” Northern laughed. “That was a weird day.”

Through the years

Northern has always remained a firefighter over the years, passing on chances of a promotion, saying he didn’t want to have the paperwork involved. For Northern, who currently serves as the Miner Fire Department chaplain, it is all about fighting fires and helping people.

Northern is a four-time first responder, which requires passing training and is good for three years. He also has been certified as a Fire Fighter 1 and has attended numerous classes over the years, from those offered by the University of Missouri to those held at local fire departments in the area.

“I’ve enjoyed trying to better myself when it comes to the fire department,” Northern said.

Slowing down

As Northern has aged, he’s been forced to slow down some. After a heart surgery a few years ago, he thought he was done with firefighting. But Northern was told by doctors he could still remain on the fire department, he just could no longer go inside fires or use the air packs.

So Northern continues doing whatever he can to help.

“I’ve done the truck and been the middle man between the truck and fire at the scene,” Northern said. “Anytime anybody hollered they need something or needs something done I did it. I enjoy it so much.

It’s enjoying it and knowing you are helping people.”

Family

Northern is known as the grandfather of the Miner Fire Department and he says they keep a close eye on him.

“They treat me like ‘hey if you want to come we understand and if you can’t we understand. We just want to know what’s going on if you can’t make it, to make sure everything is ok,’” Northern said.

Northern said the fire department is like family to him.

“The fire department has always been a second family to me,” Northern said. “I’ve always had a close relationship with the fellow firefighters. It’s a job but it’s more than a job. It’s family. There’s a lot of love and togetherness here.”

And Northern said he doesn’t think he has another 50 years left in him but hopes to continue to help for as long as he can.

“I’m glad they let me stick around,” Northern said. “I’ve really enjoyed doing it.”