Fire chief ready for retirement, family time

At this time next week, you might find Owatonna Fire Chief Mike Johnson fishing or spending time with his grandchildren, children or wife. You won’t find him at the fire station.
Johnson, who also serves as Steele County Emergency manager, is retiring at the end of the week.
“After 37 years in fire service, it’s a good time to turn the page,” said Johnson. “The first thing I’m going to do is change the calendar to ‘every day is Saturday.’ ”
Johnson joined the Owatonna Fire Department as fire chief on May 21, 2001.
“When I came here, one of the things in place was a collaborative agreement with Steele County,” said Johnson, explaining the dual role he has played for 20 years.
During that time, Johnson said the demands of both roles have increased and the county and the city decided to separate the position. The county will employ a full-time emergency manager and the city will employ a full-time fire chief.
“It’s been an honor to serve as fire chief,” said Johnson. “I’ve appreciated the opportunity to serve.”
Johnson began his fire service career in Faribault as a firefighter in 1984 after serving as an army medic in Europe and earning his two-year paramedic degree at Mankato State.
He said he’d always admired firefighters because his dad had been a volunteer firefighter in the metro area.
But when paramedics saved his grandfather, who was having a heart attack, Johnson said he knew he wanted to help others too.
“I thought he was dead and the paramedics got him back,” said Johnson.
Now, Johnson said, he’s ready to give up a world that requires a constant state of readiness. Anyone who is a first responder, he said, sees a lot of tragic things.
“You start carrying that baggage from Day 1,” he said, adding that there were more good days than bad. “But the job shouldn’t define you.”
Johnson said he is proud of the firefighters he’s worked with over the years.
“Our mission is to save lives and property and we do that each and every day,” said Johnson.
Fighting fires before they happen is a big part of the job, according to the retiring chief. And, he said, it’s the reason city firefighters do so much code enforcement.
“It works. Codes are created to avoid injury and death in a fire,” he said.
In addition to spending time with family and friends, Johnson said he is looking forward to traveling.
“Unlike vacations when you try to jam so much into a week and come back exhausted, I plan to take time to watch the sunset.”
First on his list, he said, is the sunset over the Grand Canyon.