Posted 2/28/01 RC Fire Chief brings experience to the challenge of fire fighting Newly-elected as Rush Cityís Fire Chief, Bob Carlson, a lifelong resident of the town, brings a wealth of experience to the position and also enjoys the challenges that come with the job. Carlson, who has fought fires for 20 years, has served as a training officer for the last two years before being elected to the chiefís position by the 32-member volunteer fire department in January. He believes than safety is an important issue for the fire department and that his career experiences are a definite benefit for the fire department. Carlson has been employed as an Emergency Medical Technician for 18 years. He is presently employed by Life Link III out of St. Paul. This experience is very helpful in case of injuries while fighting fires, he believes. Carlson is also a certified CPR instructor and has completed Fire Fighter I, II and III. These classes are given by a state school and each consists of 112 hours of fire fighter training, both classroom and hands-on. For the past 10 years, Carlson has worked part time for Anoka Technical College as a fire fighter instructor. He has also been employed by the Department of Natural Resources for 12 years which, once again, affords him the opportunity to share knowledge and skills in fighting grass fires around the state. Carlson was elected to the position earlier this year as part of the departmentís three-year officer rotation program. The City Council gives final approval to the elected officers. Others elected this year: Curtis Bye with six years on the department, was elected Lieutenant; Darrin Forcier, with five years on the department, was elected Training Officer and Dale Rieland, four years on the RC department and three on the Lindstrom department, was elected 2nd Assistant Training Officer. All three have completed Fire Fighter I. Carlson encourages anyone interested in joining the Rush City Fire Department to pick up an application at City Hall. ©Post Review