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Celina Fire Chief Doug Wolters retired last week.
CELINA - Celina Fire Chief Doug Wolters has retired, ending a nearly four-decade career that thrust the St. Sebastian area native into the heart of raging infernos, at least one close brush with death and countless squad runs.
All told, Wolters put in 33 years with the Celina Fire Department, including 13-and-a-half years as chief. He also volunteered with the Montezuma Fire Department and Coldwater Emergency Medical Services.
Wolters was recognized as the 2019-2020 Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Ohio Fire Chief of the Year.
Joel Lange, a 12 year veteran of the department, was named the new chief, Wolters said.
"Joel Lange has been promoted by civil service exam and then he ultimately accepted the position," said Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel at a recent council meeting. "We are very appreciative of the service these gentlemen gave in the past. It's always bittersweet to see that kind of … education and experience leave but we've got a new era here and Joel has stepped up and agreed to take on that task."
Wolters, 58, was able to fulfill all his dreams with the Celina Fire Department.
"I always wanted to do it since I was a little kid," Wolters said of becoming a firefighter. "My goal was to go to Cincinnati and be a fireman."
Though he ended up staying much closer to home, Wolters, a 1982 graduate of Marion Local High School, said he enjoyed a satisfying career.
He initially served as a volunteer with the Montezuma Fire Department from 1983 through 1990 and as an emergency medical technician aboard Coldwater units of Mercer County EMS from 1988 to 1990.
"I was a volunteer and I worked at Celina Lumber full-time, and then I went and took my EMT (test) and ran for Coldwater EMS for a couple of years until I got hired here," he said.
Wolters said he was initially hesitant about squad work.
"Turns out that I just love the paramedics. I always loved firefighting but I loved the EMS side of it. I loved helping people," he said.
Wolters worked his way up to shift supervisor and lieutenant before taking over the reins as chief in late 2009 after Doug Kuhn retired.
As chief, Wolters juggled numerous roles - firefighter, paramedic, personnel supervisor, scheduling coordinator, fire investigator and hazmat responder.
The top three causes of fires, Wolters said, are cooking, heating and electrical, many of which are preventable.
"I usually go on the radio once a year to talk about people having tripped breakers to check out what's causing it to trip," he said, noting such an occurrence is a red flag for potential fires. "A lot of people keep on resetting it. There's a reason it trips. It's more than likely overloaded or there might be something else causing the trip."
While also leading the fire response, Wolters was responsible for investigating fires to determine the cause.
"You just got to figure out, 'is there anything criminal going on here?'"he said.
When a fire results in extensive property loss or if assistance is needed, Wolters said the state fire marshal is called in.
"It takes time. It takes more eyes to look at it," he said. "You've got to dig debris up. There's a lot to that, too. We don't collect evidence locally. They do. They've got police powers and they can serve subpoenas on the spot on certain things."
Wolters said the department requests the state fire marshal's services in about half of the fires it investigates yearly.
"The larger ones, when there's a lot of damage, it's best you bring in somebody else to help you because they've got more expertise. They do it every day. They have a lot of resources," he said.
Wolter said there's usually one to two suspected cases of arson in Celina each year. The motivation behind arson is sometimes revenge but usually a payday from an insurance company, Wolter said.
However, Wolters said he can detect indications of arson pretty quickly. One of the telltale signs is the presence of an accelerant.
A few years back investigators located a bottle of rubbing alcohol at the scene of a house fire. A lab later confirmed the presence of rubbing alcohol on the occupant's clothes seized during the investigation, providing a slam dunk case for the prosector, Wolters said.
The bulk of the Celina Fire Department's workload, though, consists of providing emergency medical services. The fire department in 2022 went on 1,826 squad runs compared to 364 fire runs, according to Hazel.
"At Celina here, we supply the personnel to run the EMS for the county. The county supplies the equipment," he said.
Hazardous material spills, typically involving diesel, fertilizers, propane and natural gas, are also handled by the department.
Reflecting on the state of the fire department and its 15 full-time and five auxiliary firefighters/emergency medical providers, Wolters said it is a well-equipped agency. A voter-approved 0.5% supplemental income tax provides revenue that goes to police and fire capital expenditures and the street program.
"The city council and administration is very supportive of the fire department," he said, adding that many waterlines have been replaced over the last ten years.
Through strategic planning and maintaining the right kinds of vehicles and equipment, the city retained a favorable ISO rating in 2022, which Hazel has said provided an estimated 15% insurance premium savings for city businesses and property owners.
"I think the citizens are really fortunate with what's going on right now," Wolter said.
Wolters and his wife, Karen, have three adult children.
"She's the one I've got to thank. She's put up with a lot over the years. You've always got to get up and go. She's always been understanding," Wolters said.
