Warren Jorgenson to Retire: Over 40 Years of Dedication to the Fire Service Will Be Missed!
November 21, 2010 — As many of you know, this is the last edition of The Northland Fire Wire publication and perhaps it is somewhat ironic that Warren Jorgenson of the Minnesota Fire/EMS/Safety Center is also retiring at the same time. Warren is the person, yes you can blame him, for getting me involved in the fire service. I always had an interest in firefighting, but it was Warren who really got me started when I was working in Willmar over 20 years ago. He took me to one live burn, got me some used turn-out gear for the night and I was hooked. Firefighting has been and continues to be a great experience for me. Thank you, Warren! I owe my career in firefighting to you.
To many of us, Warren is a legend in the Minnesota Fire Service. For over four decades, his passion and dedication to this profession have been immeasurable. Whether it was running a live burn, teaching an incident command class or operating the registration table at a conference, Warren's heart and soul were in the fire service, 150%. His 30 years with the State of Minnesota enabled him to travel the state and keep all of us updated on the present and future trends in firefighting. And Warren "walked the talk" in all of this. When I was taking my live burn training, the instructor right next to me was Warren. I can't recall how many times I would see Warren coming out of a burn, just as sweaty and dirty as the next person. I know many of you have similar experiences to share about Warren's dedication and enthusiasm for the fire service. He was a role model for many a young firefighter. This statement in itself is quite a tribute to Warren.
Warren's retirement will leave a big hole in our profession. With colleague Bruce Roed, he assisted a lot of fire departments in the Assistance to Firefighters' Grant (AFG) Program. Countless departments across Minnesota have new equipment as a result of this team's efforts. Earlier this fall, the Minnesota State Colleges and University System announced that it would be making some huge cutbacks in its services due to major budget issues in state government. Those cutbacks also meant the elimination of the positions held by Warren and Bruce, along with other cuts at the Minnesota Fire/EMS/Safety Center. When these reductions were made known, Warren made the painful decision to retire.
Since Warren announced his retirement, countless messages of congratulations have come his way. These messages didn't just come from Minnesota, they came from across the country. Warren's reputation is nationwide and he will be missed by many. I know I will miss Warren greatly, but I consider it a privilege to have worked with him. I consider it more of an honor to say he is my friend. Congratulations, Warren! Good Luck!