By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Give Jim Ritterbach a fire extinguisher and an audience of eager learners and he can talk for hours. But put him in front of the Bowling Green Kiwanis Club, and he’d just as soon wrap it up quickly.
Ritterbach, who retired in April as a lieutenant after 31 years with the BG Fire Division, was honored Thursday as Bowling Green’s firefighter of the year.
Fire Chief Bill Moorman introduced Ritterbach as someone who had prevented an unknown number of fires in the community with his mission to educate children and adults about fire safety.
“Homes are safer. Families are better prepared. And a generation grew up knowing safety isn’t something that just happens,” Moorman said.
While he seemed a natural in his role, firefighting wasn’t Ritterbach’s first career choice. Upon graduating from high school, his goal was to pursue a business degree – so he could work in an office and wear a suit and tie.
“Little did I know I’d be wearing a different kind of suit,” Ritterbach said.
His dad, a police officer and 40-year volunteer firefighter in Gibsonburg, urged Ritterbach to volunteer at the fire department. Ritterbach had no real desire to join, but didn’t want to disappoint his dad.
“I did it because I didn’t want to let him down,” he said.
That was the beginning of seven years at the Gibsonburg department. When the Bowling Green Fire Division offered testing for new firefighters, Ritterbach signed up. He still remembers the rigorous physical testing at the BGSU football stadium.
“When I was done, I wanted to pass out and die,” he said.
BGFD offered him a position. “I was excited beyond words.”
In addition to the firefighting and EMS duties, Ritterbach excelled at educating the public about fire safety. He helped with school visits, fire station tours, and community education projects.
In 2000, he went to paramedic school – before BG firefighters were required to be paramedics.
“I wanted to make more of a difference,” he said.
Working with fellow firefighters focused on educating the public, Ritterbach and others attended classes at the State Fire School specifically on how to teach fire safety to the community – “instead of just winging it.” They also learned to work with juveniles with a history of starting fires.
Support from leadership in the city and at the fire division allowed the programming to “explode,” he said. The entire fire division chipped in with the growing education role.
In 2019, Ritterbach became head of the fire education program in the BGFD – a position that drastically increased the number of emails he received from the public asking for appearances and training from firefighters. They were sought after by schools, nursing homes, the senior center and more.
“We never said ‘no,’” he said. “I didn’t want to let anybody down. I thought it was important for the fire division to have a good image.”
Ritterbach’s commitment to the education program even led to a few early returns to BG from family camping trips.
Over the years, the community education team found a need to make their presentations more lively. That effort has led to “Fire Survivor” obstacle courses at school programs, and a burn building at the fire station open houses.
“We have to be very creative,” he said. “You need to have a program that’s going to ‘wow’ them.”
The fire division found that a small group of the same people attended their open houses – until they added the burn building.
“That taught the public how fast fires grow. In two to three minutes, that thing was fully involved,” he said.
Ritterbach also convinced the fire division to provide pizza – despite earlier concerns about potential food allergies.
“We have a whole room of ‘epi’ and a whole bunch of paramedics,” he said in making his pitch for pizza.
Ritterbach also applauded the community effort to add a pancake and sausage breakfast to the open houses to raise funds for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
“We’ve had good support from the community,” he said.
Upon his retirement, Ritterbach said he has left the fire prevention leadership role in the capable hands of fellow firefighter Rob Rath. Now off the job, Ritterbach no longer misses holidays and family gatherings with his wife Diane and their family.
“I miss the guys, but I don’t miss getting up at 3 a.m.,” he said.
