OTTAWA — The Ottawa Fire Department’s Dave Sellens has retired after 34 years as a city firefighter. When he started with the Ottawa department, the public had the idea that firefighters raced to spray water on fires and then sat at the station drinking coffee, playing dominoes and waiting for the next fire. That was probably pretty close to the truth, Sellens said. But over the years, firefighters’ jobs have expanded enormously, with firefighters training for more complex skills, annual inspections of all the local businesses and industries – and filling out the paperwork, listing possible chemicals to be encountered during a fire, and drawing maps of each – checking the more than 500 hydrants in the city, and an aggressive fire prevention public education campaign, he said. That’s led to fewer fires in the city but more demand on firefighters’ time, he said. The department still has its box of dominoes but Sellens said they’ve staying the box in a closet for more than 15 years, he said. The department hosted a retirement reception for Sellens Monday afternoon at Fire Station No. 1, Second and Beech.
Tuesday, July 31, 4 p.m.
