The Hortonville Fire Department recognized longtime member and past chief Carl Rosenberger for 70 years of service during its Family Day barbecue last Saturday.

The department also celebrated Rosenberger’s 89th birthday.

Rosenberger joined the fire service in 1956 at age 18 and served as chief from 1966 to 1978 and president from 1982 to 1985.

When asked what it was like to serve with the department for seven decades, Rosenberger kept his answer simple.

“I don’t know, just something you do,” he said. “Being a volunteer around this little town was great.”

Rosenberger said he had helped around the firehouse and participated in the department’s bugle corps before becoming a member. He did not initially know his name had been submitted for membership until another member told him, “You just got voted in.”

Much has changed since Rosenberger began fighting fires.

“There were no big pumpers, no big fancy equipment, no air packs,” he said. “The bigger departments may have had them, but that was about it.”

Rosenberger said firefighters at the time had few precautions available to protect themselves from smoke.

“Well, there was none,” he said. “You just did what you could do or had to do.”

He said modern equipment has made firefighting both safer and more effective.

“You went to the fire and you put as much water on as you could, and if it burnt down, it burnt down,” Rosenberger said. “Now, the major thing is trying to save, which is possible with what we got now.”

Rosenberger no longer responds to many fires, but he continues to help around the station with maintenance and other work. He said he can also still drive department apparatus with medical clearance.

“If there’s any big fires, I don’t go to them until it’s out of town,” he said. “If it’s in town, I’m always in the firehouse in case they need something.”

Rosenberger said the people in the volunteer fire service have not changed as much as the demands placed on them.

“I don’t think it’s changed the men too much. The times have changed,” he said.

Recruitment has become increasingly difficult as training requirements and demands on volunteers’ time have grown.

“It’s getting tougher to find firemen,” Rosenberger said. “People are getting busier and busier and busier.”

He said departments also have fewer available drivers for increasingly complex apparatus. Mutual aid between neighboring fire companies has consequently become more important, with departments now routinely dispatched together rather than waiting for firefighters on scene to request additional help.

During the ceremony, Hortonville Fire Chief Eric Dnistrian described Rosenberger as a skilled apparatus operator and a source of knowledge for younger firefighters.

“There wasn’t a truck [he] couldn’t operate,” Dnistrian said. “You could learn so much simply by watching him.”

Dnistrian also recalled winter coffee club gatherings, hunting with Rosenberger and his sons and grandsons, and Rosenberger’s baked beans.

“His presence around the station has always been a pleasure,” Dnistrian said, citing Rosenberger’s “wisdom, knowledge and sense of humor.”

The department also recognized Michael Tesseyman, a newer member, for his exemplary service to the department and commitment to furthering his training.

Dnistrian cited his willingness to clean the station and trucks, participate in parades and continue his firefighter education.

“His dedication, initiative and commitment represents what volunteer firefighting is all about,” Dnistrian said.