The End of a Career

Today’s firefighters are covered from head to toe with special clothing and equipment that protects them from flames and toxic smoke. That wasn’t the case when Merle Adermann joined the Vandalia Volunteer Fire Department in 1974.

“Back then, we fought a lot of house fires in our street clothes,” said Adermann, who retired from the VVFD in September.
In the last 19 years of that 37-year career, he served as chief of the department, after previously holding the positions of first and second assistant chief.
One of his duties as chief was explaining to prospective firefighters their duties and responsibilities, as well as the commitment that is required.
Close to four decades ago, it was George Stombaugh who was having that talk with him.
Adermann had been married to Stombaugh’s daughter, Georgi, for about two years, when he was invited to join the fire department.
Even though his father-in-law was the fire chief, Adermann said, “I had no idea what it involved.”
He decided to join the department, but only after talking it over with his wife and giving it some thought for a couple of weeks. There were several factors to consider, he said.
“First of all, we we’re thinking about buying a house out of town,” Adermann said.
“And because I had no personal knowledge about how the department ran or what they did, I just took some time to think about it,” he said.
In his early years on the department, Vandalia’s firefighters, like those in all volunteer departments, often fought fires and handled rescue calls without any protective gear.
And even when they did “gear up” back then, their protection consisted solely of hard plastic helmets and “old rubber raincoats,” he said.
That’s only one change that Adermann has seen over the years.
“When I joined the department, only one of our trucks had a cab. The rest were open cabs,” he said.
“Today, you have all of the protective turnout gear and SBA’s (self-contained breathing apparatus), all of the large diameter hose (to feed water from hydrants to the fire scene) … it’s just a whole new ball game,” Adermann said.
Also different is the amount of training required of firefighters.
“We always had a good training program. Over the years, the Illinois Fire Service Institute started coming into play, putting instructors out in the field.
“But, before that, it was just the old guys teaching the new guys,” Adermann said.
In addition to IFSI training, members of the VVFD during Adermann’s tenure have traveled to other area communities for regionalized training. A number of members have also completed Firefighter II instruction through the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
In 37 years, Adermann has responded to hundreds and hundreds of calls for fires, vehicle accidents and other types of emergency calls.
His career has also included 37 years of training and equipment maintenance sessions every Wednesday night, as well as some of that on other nights and weekends.
Though it wasn’t easy, Adermann decided that it was time to retire from the department.
“It was a difficult decision,” he said. “It was something that I had about for over a year.”
One of the things he enjoyed most about serving on the department “was the camaraderie, not just with our department, but with all other departments.
“There was always just that bond that made being a firefighter unique.
“It ends up being your second family. Those are people you could always count on, regardless of what you needed them for,” he said.
Helping to create that bond is the teamwork that is required of firefighters. That teamwork is necessary not only to put out a fire or complete an extrication, but also to keep all firefighters safe.
“Everybody has got everybody else’s back,” Adermann said.
“And that bond is not just on the fire ground,” he said.
“Anytime you have a personal situation, you know that there are other people, not only on your department, but also on other departments, that are there to help you, to take care of you,” Adermann said.
Firefighters are often required to leave their family or their jobs at a moment’s notice, and as the department chief, Adermann was thankful for the support and understanding of his family, and of the employers who have firefighters on their staffs.
“There are things that you have to give up,” he said. “You miss meals, family celebrations, your kids’ school activities … all kinds of things.
“I was very fortunate in that my family knew that when a situation came up, I had to leave,” Adermann said. “They always understood that, and they always supported me.
“Some of our members are self-employed, but many of them work for someone else, and we couldn’t do our job as firefighters if those employers didn’t let them leave work.
“We always have had great support from businesses in the community, and from the community as a whole,” he said. “I was always so thankful for that support.”
Adermann served on the department with his father-in-law, but also with his brother-in-law, Steve Stombaugh; his son, Matthew; and his nephew, Zac Stombaugh.
Matthew grew up watching his father serve as the VVFD chief, then served alongside him for several years before deciding to become a professional firefighter. He is a paid firefighter with the Taylorville Fire Department.
“I tried not to push him into that,” Adermann said, “but it’s something that the kids were around from the time they were born until the time they left home.
“For whatever reason, he chose that as a career, and I’m very proud of him for what he does and what he’s accomplished,” Adermann said.
Adermann enters retirement from the fire department feeling good about the job that the firefighters do, regardless of the time of day and weather conditions.
“Helping people in that time of need gives you some self-satisfaction,” he said.
And doing that job, Adermann said, “is a personal commitment.
“When you join the department, you are asked to make that commitment, and to not decide that you’ll only do the job at certain times.
“That was explained to me when I joined the department, and I guess that I was lucky enough that they instilled that in me,” he said.
Adermann has a simple philosophy on why a firefighter should respond every time their pager sounds.
“The way I always approached it was, how would I feel if I was on the other side,” he said.
“I would hope that if I had a fire or other type of emergency, there was someone who was committed enough to come help me.”

Merle Adermann