RIVER FALLS – On Monday, July 15, River Falls Fire Department members past and present gathered at Glen Park to celebrate a rare milestone in the fire service. Firefighters Gene McKahan and Gary Eloranta were honored for each reaching 50 years of service to the River Falls community.

"Fifty years as a firefighter is an impressive accomplishment, and we are proud to celebrate not one but two of our city's firefighters achieving this milestone," River Falls Mayor Dan Toland said. "The fire department is such a vital part of our city. We are grateful for Gene and Gary's service and courage for the past half century with the River Falls Fire Department."

Joining in summer of 1974, both men have dedicated tens of thousands of hours training and responding to emergencies during their years of service. The River Falls Fire Department is proud to recognize both McKahan and Eloranta for all they have done. Both were recently interviewed reflecting on their time served.

Gene McKahan

Joining the department after experiencing firsthand the tragedy a fire can cause, McKahan swore to aid those during what is often their worst day. He also wanted to assist in fire prevention programs so others may not have similar experiences. During his years of service, he’s seen a lot of change and emphasizes how important it is to stay on top of training as the types of calls the department responds to are ever-changing.

For many years, McKahan served as an officer within the department and was key in its operations. During this time, he was not able to spend time on the nozzle, which was his favorite firefighting tool. Age may be catching up to him, but he still likes to jump on a hose line when the opportunity presents itself.

Being retired from his job with the City of River Falls, he finds himself playing a big role in the department’s fire prevention. You’ll find him touring the area schools and teaching kids how to prevent fires and sharing what to do in an emergency. He wants to remind everyone to regularly test and change the batteries of their smoke detectors.

Gary Eloranta

Always wanting to give back to his community, Eloranta joined the department after being invited to the station by friends from church. This was just months after helping form River Falls Area EMS.

Through his years served, Eloranta has been instrumental in the department’s training program. He pushed to get firefighters into state-sponsored classes taught by local technical schools and developed programs for the department’s weekly training drills.

When joining the department, Eloranta’s training involved being given an early version of an SCBA pack and being pushed into a structure fire. His involvement within the department has greatly improved the training program to better prepare firefighters for all types of emergencies.

Submitted by River Falls Fire Department