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By DAWN SLADE - Mille Lacs County Times
After 20 years, the Milaca Fire Department has a new leader.
Capt. Craig Billings stepped down as chief after a 20-year run. And Gregg Weller took over the reins on Jan. 1st.
“I decided 20 years was long enough, more than average, for a volunteer chief,” Billings said of his decision.
Billings is still part of the fire department, but he will no longer have all the responsibilities that go with the position of chief.
Three people in the department have the qualifications and training to be chief.
“The other two said ‘no,’” Weller laughed. “For years Craig has said, ‘I’m gonna’ quit, I’m gonna’ quit.’ I’m the only one who believed him.”
Weller, who has been with the department for 13 years, will now have to oversee the department, deal with those townships in which Milaca has contracts, deal with the public (and any complaints), issue burning permits, and manage the budget - the business side of the department.
“In his case, with his semi-retirement, it shouldn’t be as challenging to cover,” Billings said of Weller’s new role.
What he was referring to was Billings’ challenge in owning and operating a business, Billings Service, full-time while being chief.
His business and his family were often neglected as he responded to fires and completed the necessary paperwork that follows.
Weller, who retired from the sheriff’s office after 27 years, now works part-time for the city of Milaca in the parks department.
Weller has been secretary for the fire department since he joined.
“I knew there was a lot of paperwork, but I had no idea how much time he put in here,” Weller said of Billings.
Billings noted challenges that lie ahead for Weller.
“Just keeping up with all the government mandates, as far as training,” will be one issue Billings mentioned.
Billings admitted that if it wasn’t for fellow firefighter capt. Greg Lerud, who is the Milaca City Manager, he’s not sure he would have lasted as chief.
Lerud has fielded many fire-related calls from residents to ease Billings’ load over the years.
The 23-member department is supported through the city and contracts with nearby towns and townships, based on tax capacity.
The Milaca Fire Department covers the towns of Bock and Pease, and the townships of Page, Hayland, Bogus Brook, Milaca, Borgholm and a third of Granite Ledge Township in Benton County.
Another challenge for Billings’ predecessor is cuts in state-aid.
“You operate on doing more for less,” Billings said.
Transition
Billings and Weller agree the transition from one to the other has gone smoothly. Having worked together on the department for several years helps.
Weller started handling some smaller calls in the transition period to “get his feet wet.”
And Billings said Weller is doing “wonderful” as the new chief.
Of course, the fire department handles more than just fire calls.
“I don’t think people understand the total role we play,” Weller commented.
“In haz mat situations you have to know what you’re dealing with and who to call,” the new chief pointed out.
“People don’t give us a second thought until their world comes to an end, then they expect us to be there, which we are,” Weller added.
Firefighters continuously go through training, both in-house and through outside, contracted training sessions.
This week, two new firefighters will be going through training that takes place in Baldwin Township, Zimmerman and Clear Lake. There is a hiring process to become a volunteer firefighter that includes an agility test, a medical exam, a background check and the requirement that the firefighter live within three miles of the fire station.
Billings and Weller encouraged people to apply for the volunteer firefighter department, noting they keep applications on file at city hall.
Looking back
Billings recalled some of the incidents that have stuck with him most, like the Hi-Way Auto Sales fire that included 55 gallon drums of paint thinner. He remembered how they would explode 50 to 60 feet into the air and how spectators were too close when that happened.
The one he remembers the most, however, was the fireworks building in Granite Ledge Township in 1996 that exploded during a winter thunderstorm in which lightning struck the building.
Billings was doing pumper training at the fire hall when he heard the explosion, but everyone thought it was thunder. Minutes later they were called to the scene.
“It was strange,” he said. “There was one guy who was 50 feet away and he was fine. But houses a half-mile away had shifted off their foundations.”
Billings isn’t going out with a bang like the fireworks explosion, as he’ll continue to volunteer his time on the department, he just has less responsibility and a new boss.
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