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North Branch Fire Chief Don Brown, retiring after 29 years with the department and 17 years as chief, was awarded a special congressional recognition last weekend. Eighth District Congressman James Oberstar presented the Congressional Fire Services Institute award on behalf of members of congress Saturday, Feb. 23 in a well-attended program at the North Branch Fire Hall. The city also gave Brown a recognition clock, presented by Mayor Gloria Karsky.

Rep. Oberstar shared that his hometown Chisholm once burned to the ground with major loss of life and he has the highest regard for firefighters and the level of volunteer service that's been developed today. Oberstar helped create the institute in 1989. His office continues to see to it that federal monies are made available to improve public safety in the form of grants and aid.

There have been just four other Minnesota recipients of the congressional award: a longtime Ely fire chief; the Esko Department captain recently killed in the line of duty; a fire investigator with St. Louis County and a founder of the first responder-rescue service in the Lake Vermillion area.

The North Branch fire hall was filled with uniforms for the morning event with law enforcement, Lakes Area EMS, fire chiefs and firefighters from all over the county there to honor Don Brown. Brown also was president of Chisago County Fire Chiefs' Association.

Brown's successor, North Branch Fire Chief John McFarling, noted that in an era when the usual term for a fire chief is about five years, Brown set an exemplary service record that will be hard to match.

Mayor Karsky said Brown "always put community first" and the large turnout for this event illustrates the love the community has for him in return.

Brown thanked all his firefighting team who were "very leadable" and he said he never had any issues working with.

He added that his parents instilled the importance of community service in him at a young age; noting that when he was a single parent the fire pager would barely have gone off and his mother would be at his door at all-hours, to watch his daughter while Brown responded to a call. Employer Rick Hals got extra mention, with Brown explaining that volunteer firefighters must have a cooperative employer to make the volunteer system work.

"You don't do this by yourself," he stressed.

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