SALUTING AREA FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DEDICATE THEMSELVES TO KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE!
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WEEK OCT. 3-9, 2021
Cervenkas serve on Rice Fire Department as husband, wife BY NATASHA BARBER | STAFF WRITER
RICE – Even before moving to Rice, RJ and Darby Cervenka had a plan in mind: joining the volunteer fire department. “It was kind of one of our goals as a couple,” Darby said. “I just always thought that once we settled down somewhere, it would be pretty cool to be on a volunteer department.” The Cervenkas are two of Rice Fire Department’s newest firefighters, completing their probationary period Sept. 20. A Lakeville native, Darby met her husband RJ, a 2012 graduate of Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, while the two attended college at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. They married in September 2019. The couple moved to the city in May 2020 after building a home in the Fox Meadows development. As soon as RJ and Darby obtained the address for their parcel, they placed their applications with Rice Fire Chief
Scott Janski. “We were ready to be on the day we moved in,” Darby said. “We had everything ready to go.” The couple officially started training in September 2020. Their first call as probationary firefighters was eyeopening. It was a severe medical emergency involving a local family in the middle of the night. “The good part is we have all these well-trained people,” RJ said of his fellow department members. “My head was swimming.” Darby said the call was intense, and it bothers her to this day. She went home emotional, thinking about how the circumstances could happen to anyone. “A lot of people on our department go into situations that sometimes look like they could be yours too,” Darby said. “Roles could be reversed in any scenario. I don’t know if it was the emotional part of that call or if it’s because it was the first call, but I rememb e r that one
more than any other.” The Cervenkas each have been on more than 50 calls since January alone, responding to structure fires, grass fires, medical calls and accidents. Every year, Rice firefighters are required to make 35% of calls and trainings to remain active. The department meets a minimum of three times each month – twice for trainings and once for vehicle checks. Pages for rescue and fire response happen often in the city and townships Rice serves, and firefighters answer the calls as they are able dependent on the time of day and their locations. A balance of people who work day and night shifts help ensure area residents have help when in need.
Cervenkas page 8F
RJ and Darby Cervenka, of Rice, get dressed in turnout gear at Rice Fire Hall Sept. 21. The two moved to Rice in May 2020 and applied to join the department immediately, starting training in September 2020.
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
RJ and Darby Cervenka take a seat on the front of a fire engine Sept. 21 at Rice Fire Hall in Rice. The husband and wife duo completed their probationary period the day prior and are now fullflegded Rice firefighters.
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The Foley Fire Department members are Andy Shaw (front, from left), Jerry Linn, Logan Lunde, Dakota McIver, Tyler Palm, Kraig Rudolph, Jay Howard and Travis Janson; (back, from left) Gary Bautch, Bryan Moshier, Adam Foss, Mike McMillin, lieutenant Todd Foreman, captain Josh Beutz, assistant chief Larry Nadeau, chief Mark Pappenfus, captain Rick Herbrand, lieutenant Chris Harren, Jason Studanski, Greg Poganski, Travis Sweno and Jerad Fleck.
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FIRE DEPARTMENT
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
The 2021 Rice Fire Department consists of Keith Craft (front, from left), Caleb Voigt, Paul Vedbraaten, Brad Vaillancourt, Arsenio Clinton, Rebecca Patton, Kevin Peine, Blake Phenow, RJ Cervenka and Darby Cervenka; (back, from left) Greg Beierman, Josh Pressnall, John Aschenbrenner, deputy chief Dale Hiscock, chief Scott Janski, Allen Voigt, Charlie Walters, Ben Phenow, Adam Wippler and Jeremy Traut. Not pictured are Eldon Schiller, Tyler Martinez and Allen Petron.
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The Rice Fire Department responded to 102 calls for service in 2020, providing fire and rescue services to the city of Rice, and Benton County townships Langola, Graham and Watab.
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Page 8F | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD & BENTON COUNTY NEWS
RJ and Darby Cervenka stand near their lockers at the Rice Fire Hall Sept. 21 in Rice. The department has 23 members, with four – including the Cervenkas – completing training Sept. 20.
Cervenkas from 1F “Everyone shows up if they can,” said RJ, a full-time mechanical engineer in St. Cloud. The couple said firefighters respond to the hall even if they are unable to make it in time to make a truck. They come for support, to be available should extra help be needed and to assist should more than one emergency call be dispatched at the same time. “The standard is even if you don’t think you’re going to make it on time, you still come here and check in,” said Darby, who works a floating schedule as a medical sales representative. Passionate about their new roles, the Cervenkas are prepared each time they go to bed. RJ and Darby set their pagers on their corresponding nightstands. When the pager goes off, they’re ready to respond. “It’s like a fire alarm,” Darby said. “You are up and out of bed in a hurry.”
R J said the haze of sleep may be confusing initially, but the routine has become second nature to the couple. They grab their clothes, which are stored in each nightstand, get dressed and get ready to go. “We sprint down to the car,” he said. “Whoever gets dressed first, takes the keys.” When at the fire hall, the Cervenkas operate independently from one another. They said without previous knowledge, onlookers would not know the two are married. “We don’t hang out at the fire hall,” Darby said. “We do our own thing. We have different captains and lieutenants, and we prefer to not be on the same truck together.”
Although the two are on separate teams within the station, they have allowed their competitive nature to show through during their training period. RJ completed the physical fitness test – which includes a weighted sled pull, ladder climb, a 200-foot, 200-pound dummy drag and more – in a faster time than his wife, and Darby has often made it on more trucks as a probationary member. “As a probationary member, you have to wait by a yellow line until you’re waved onto a truck,” she said. … “There’ll be one more seat in the engine and it’s RJ and myself standing there. It’s a race to the truck. I usually end up going because he hesitates.” Despite their competitive nature, the two are true teammates and partners when it comes to their roles as both firefighters and husband and wife. As new homers, they
have applied their firefighter training to their everyday lives. “One big thing, and we talk about this for when we have a family in the future, is having an escape plan,” RJ said. “Parents will map out an escape plan and talk with their kids, explaining the routes everyone will take if there is a fire. … I think that helps a lot, especially to make sure everyone is accounted for.” RJ said that during a fire people should stay low, get under the smoke and make their way to entry points, such as windows and doors, where firefighters are going to gain access to the home. People should use the backs of their hands to feel if doors are hot and should avoid touching bare skin to knobs when possible. The Cervenkas said their training has educated them as to how fires start and spread and has allowed them to make decisions on purchases of items such as escape ladders. “I wouldn’t have considered those things without train-
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
(Left) RJ Cervenka checks wife Darby’s gear Sept. 21 in Rice. (Right) A red Rice Fire Department sticker identifies Darby’s pager from RJ’s. The two keep their pagers on their respective night stands while they sleep.
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ing,” said Darby, who explained residents can request home walkthroughs from the department if they would like suggestions. “You don’t realize the day-to-day little changes, that one small purchase can be your way out.” RJ and Darby do not have children but have already thought about what their service will look like when their family grows. They plan to juggle the duties of emergency response with help from their firefighting family. “We already made a plan with Blake and Brea (Phenow),” Darby said. “Brea said, ‘I’ll meet you at the parking lot or drop them off at my house.’ … Or, RJ and I will just have to battle over who gets to respond.” With one goal accomplished and the next thoughtfully planned, the Cervenkas plan to accrue many years with Rice Fire.