In a small community, you’ll often find a firefighter who wears several “hats.” This is the case with our March Firefighter of the Month. This person has a number of responsibilities and belongs to several public safety organizations in his community. He is dedicated, thoughtful and an all around nice person.
Matt Tucel serves as Assistant Chief of the Breitung Township Fire Department. He has been a member of the BFD for some 13 years. And up until recently, he was a 14 year veteran of the Tower Fire Department, which is just down the road, Highway 169 in fact. And it doesn’t stop there, Matt has been with the Tower Area Ambulance Service (TAAS) for 11 years. He currently serves as Director of the TAAS, which in itself is a very time consuming position.
Yes, you could say that when it comes to Public Safety, Matt is a “jack of all trades.” He works hard with all of his departments. He knows the importance of training and how good training keeps firefighters and EMS personnel interested in their particular organization. I have had the opportunity to work with Matt in a number of situations and have always found him to be professional in nature, touched with a good sense of humor.
Matt Tucel exemplifies what a volunteer is all about. Today, across this country and across Minnesota, dedicated volunteers are needed for our fire and EMS organizations. We all know it is getting tougher and tougher to recruit people who are willing to give their talents and time in serving their cities and townships. If you’re looking for a “role model” for a volunteer, look at Matt Tucel of the Breitung Fire Department and Tower Area Ambulance Service. And, it is for these reasons that I have selected Matt as our March Firefighter of the Month! Thanks, Matt! You have certainly “set the bar” for volunteers!