In the fall of 1973, a bunch of friends tried to convince Dennis Hinman to be a volunteer firefighter in Paola. He was reluctant, but signed up. Fifty one years later, he says he never imagined it would turn into a lifelong passion. He watched the department grow into a top notch unit over the years, but he says, it’s time to hang up his boots for good. He will officially retire from the Paola Fire Department as of August 21st. He was honored for his 50 years of service at a recent Paola City Council meeting.
Firefighting runs in the family. His son is a 30 year veteran in Paola and works fulltime for the Leawood Fire Department. His grandsons both volunteer in Paola and work full time with the Overland Park and DeSoto departments. He says what he will miss most is the family atmosphere in the department and the close relationships between the firefighters, which has grown to 32 members, quite a jump from the 13 members they had 50 years ago.
