Lyon County sweep: Marshall’s Brunsvold also receives esteemed honor
Lyon County residents can rest easy knowing that there are not one, but two fire chiefs in Lyon County who are of the highest degree. The fact that they work in communities that are less than 25 miles apart serves notice that the region is in very capable hands in an emergency.
Tracy Fire Chief Dale Johnson III was recently chosen as Fire Officer of the Year in cities with a population under 10,000 by the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, while Quentin Brunsvold, the fire chief in
OFFICER OF THE YEAR Marshall, earned the honor in the category of cities over 10,000. The pair was honored at the MSFCA at its banquet last week.
TRACY FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF DALE JOHNSON III is flanked by his wife, Amber, and daughter, Madison, after receiving his Fire Officer of the Year Award last week. Facebook image
“It’s truly an honor,” said Johnson, who has served on the Tracy Fire Department for 26 years, 22 as chief. “I don’t think any chief from southwest Minnesota has gotten this, let alone two that are 25 miles apart. It almost choked me up when, a) someone did this for me; b) that not only was I nominated, but I got it. It all comes back to my people, my fire family. Without them, without the neighboring departments, I never would’ve received this award.”
Johnson’s support crew included Shane Daniels, Mike Erbes and Tony Rolling among others, and many people wrote letters of support for Johnson, including Brunsvold.
“The irony of it is, I was writing a letter for Quentin the same time he was writing a letter for me,” said Johnson, who wasn’t even planning on attending last week’s ceremony in Duluth until he learned that he would be sharing a stage with his colleague. “As I joked with Quentin, ‘I must have written you a pretty good letter!’ And vice versa. It means a lot for the things that these departments have done to work together.”
The individual honors notwithstanding, the fact that fire chiefs in such close proximity to one another have received such a high honor is not something to be taken for granted.
“I think this is unprecedented,” said Brunsvold, who was nominated by Marshall Fire Department Deputy Chief Jake Olsen, who is also the regional chief’s representative. “I don’t think I’ve ever, ever heard of this happening in this association — I don’t even think we acknowledged the fact of how close Tracy and Marshall are. It’s crazy. Getting the two highest honors of the association, that’s pretty amazing. It’s very humbling to be recognized, especially at this level, for the work we’re doing. And it’s a very proud moment for Lyon County and residents in both cities.”
In his acceptance speech, Brunsvold said there is no such thing as part-time dedication, which makes what he and Johnson do even more impressive when one considers they both have full-time jobs — Brunsvold, an employee at Western Equipment Finance, and Johnson as the owner of a construction business and both of Tracy’s hardware stores.
A former member of the Minnesota National Guard — he was honorably discharged in 2008 — Brunsvold has served on the Marshall Fire Department for 22 years and has been fire chief for the last seven.
“I work two full-time jobs, just like Dale does — actually, Dale’s got like four — and being able to balance all these things in life … I said at my acceptance speech that this is our second full-time job,” Brunsvold said. “I had people come up to me and say they don’t know how we do that. You have to balance all these things — the city’s pulling you in one direction, your family’s pulling you in another, and your job is pulling you in another. It’s a lot of sacrifice because all three things are affected.” Johnson thanked the council, City staff, his fire family and his own family for their support over the years. The balancing act has meant both Brunsvold and Johnson have had to make plenty of sacrifices, many personal, as their duties often pull them away from their families. Johnson even remembers having to leave his daughter Madison’s final high school concert when a call came in.
“There have been countless things we haven’t been able to do because of fire calls,” Johnson said. “My family has taken the brunt of it; they’re a big reason I got this award. Sadly, in this balancing act, family comes last.”
But not only do Brunsvold and Johnson have their feet on the ground overseeing accidents and fire calls, they are charged with dealing with aspects the public never notices — all the administrative responsibilities that come with being chief.
“I wish it was just responding to fire calls,” said Brunsvold. “That would be the easier part — but there’s all the other things like hiring and dealing with the development of your staff, promoting people.”
Each year, two Fire Officer of the Year awards are presented to deserving members of the fire service. Individuals eligible for nomination and selection as Fire Officer of the Year are limited to active officers of departments and MSFCA members in good standing.
Qualified individuals include: Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Training Officer, Fire Marshal, etc.
Selection criteria emphasizes leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public and contributions to the fire service as a whole. All of a nominee’s fire service activities and accomplishments will be considered, but because this is the Fire Officer of the Year award, special emphasis will be placed on the last three year period. A nominee’s command role at a major emergency incident, while relevant, will not be enough to place that individual into contention for the award.
The recipients of the award receive a $1,200 grant for an approved fire department purchase or stipend to attend a continuing professional education/development (Fire Rescue International, FDIC, Executive Edge, National Fire Academy, or other similar conferences of opportunities) or registration and hotel expenses for that year’s MSFCA Annual Conference.
BRUNSVOLD
