Don Nester Chevrolet

Firehouse a place to reminisce and honor our defenders

BY MARK CONSTANCE

Where do firefighters go when the fires are out? The Firehouse in St. Helen. Since opening on Sept. 7, 2007, the bar / restaurant has been a favorite of firefighters from across the state as a place to catch up with their comrades, reminisce about past battles, and honor those who have fallen. Owner JR Lorenz and his partner, Bob Hallauer, worked on the theme together, but it was Bob’s personal collection the restaurant was originally decorated with. Although Bob passed away several years ago, his items anchor the theme. “Bob always wanted to do a fire theme,” JR said. “He thought it would be nice to have it decorated like that.” And the “collection is always growing.” “We still have lots of stuff that was donated for decorations we haven’t been able to get out because of the COVID,” JR said. “But I expect we will start bringing out some other things this summer.” Among the dozens of items on display are helmets, jackets and shirts from fire departments across the country. There are a pair of Co2 tanks from when the Holiday on the Lake burned down, as well as a melted air conditioning unit from when the Limberlost in Houghton Lake caught fire. A personal item from JR’s collection is from an oil well fire in the Albion area. His dad was working for the DNR on the fire when worldrenowned fire control expert Red Adair was called to extinguish the blaze. A statement about the fire and several graphic photos are hung up in remembrance of the event. JR was also quick to point out there is a photo and a hat from his daughter, Ashley. She was stations on the USS Chafee, DDG 90 as a damage control specialist. One of the more interesting mementos is related to 9-11. “We have a pair of pants from a New York firefighter who was working on 9-11,” JR said. “He brought them to a friend of his in-Traverse City who had a child in the hospital. So, when the kid grew up the family gave them to us. “There is a lot of stuff in here like that … Firefighters are very proud of the things they bring in here.”

The pants were donated from a Traverse City family. They are from a New York City firefighter who was working on 9-11. The bar was built by Bob Hallauer to resemble a fire truck. Hallenauer used his personal collection of firefighter memorabilia to decorate the restaurant. JR Lorenz is pictured with the operational fire truck on display in front of the Firehouse.