In 2019, I received an acceptance letter to attend the Managing Officer Program at the National Fire Academy (NFA) in Emmitsburg, MD. The NFA’s Managing Officer Program is a multiyear curriculum. It introduces emerging emergency services leaders to personal and professional skills in change management, risk reduction and adaptive leadership. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, the class was postponed, and we couldn’t attend until July 2021.
During the first week of class, we were encouraged to “get to know” a firefighter who is honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. Each of these firefighters is listed in stone or on a plaque for all to see and to remember. The idea is to give every name a face and every face a name. Our instructors assigned students on a daily basis to present a fallen firefighter to the class, one of these people who were mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. As students introduced their designated hero, these names became real. Our class found connections to them. As I walked down The Walk of Honor, I found my connection.
Maurice “Mick” Rehse
Maurice “Mick” Francis Rehse was born April 30, 1923, in Dickinson County, IA, to Scott and Hazel Rehse. He joined the U.S. Army and served with the 530th Military Police Battalion during World War II.
On Aug. 1, 1946, Rehse and Dwanna Wilson were married in Milford, IA. They moved to Howard Lake, MN, where they owned and operated a dry-cleaning business. Rehse served as a Howard Lake Fire Department member from 1952–1966. The couple had three daughters and a son.
In 1966, the Rehse family moved to Aitkin, MN. They opened Aitkin Cleaners, and Rehse became a member of the Aikin Business Committee. In the same time frame, he completed his probationary period as a member of the Aitkin Volunteer Fire Department.
On Oct. 2, 1967, the Aitkin Volunteer Fire Department and the Rural Volunteer Department responded to a report of a fire at Woodland Molded Products, which manufactured surfboards, fiberglass boats and other products. On arrival, members found an active fire in a single-story commercial building. All of the employees were out of the building and accounted for.
While Rehse, fellow Aitkin Firefighter Arthur Nelson and Rural Fire Chief Elmer Wilke fought the fire defensively, an explosion occurred, which caused the roof of the building to cave in. An exterior wall collapsed outward. Rehse was buried, and Wilke suffered a head gash and bruises.
While pulling Rehse from the rubble, Firefighters John Hagman and Rich Fannemel suffered burn injuries. Wilke, Hagman and Fannemel were taken to Aitkin Hospital. They were treated for their injuries and returned to the fire. Rehse was transported to Duluth Hospital for specialty care, but, unfortunately, the ambulance didn’t arrive at its destination. Rehse passed away while at Cloquet Memorial Hospital. He was 44 years old.
Rehse was the first firefighter in his department’s 85-year history to die from injuries that were sustained while fighting a fire.
The cause of the Woodland Molded Products fire never officially was determined, but according to Plant Manager Herman Lehner, the fire was caused by a resin gun that was operated by one of the employees. “The entire wall seemed to flare up within 20 seconds,” Lehner said. The building, estimated to be worth $200,000, was a total loss. The fire also consumed an adjacent abandoned building. In addition, it knocked out electrical and telephone service to a large portion of the village. Firefighters were on scene for six hours.
The connection
During the fire, and because of the effect on the community, many residents went to the scene. One of the individuals who gravitated toward the fire was my father. My Dad, who was 13 at the time, was a classmate of one of Rehse’s daughters. My Dad had just left school, and he and other students walked to the fire scene to observe the fire.
My grandfather, Lloyd Sherwood, served with Rehse on the Aitkin Business Committee.
A legacy
Even though Rehse is gone, his legacy lives on. The Aitkin Fire Department has a bronze plaque that honors him. A flagpole is next to the Aitkin American Legion Post 86, where the Woodland Molded Products building stood. At the flagpole’s base is a plaque that honors Rehse’s sacrifice.
Two of Rehse’s grandchildren carry his name.
In 2012, Rehse was inducted into the Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial Association.
Two of Rehse’s family members are with the Aitkin Fire Department.
‘Knowing You’
Recently, country music star Kenny Chesney released “Knowing You.” According to Chesney, the song is about forgiveness and about gratitude for those who came and went in his life.
At the beginning of the song, Chesney speaks: “Not everything is meant to last. You don’t think about that when it’s perfect. And when it’s over, there is a huge hole. But there is also a pair of wings. Knowing you, wherever you are, I know you’re happy, you’re flying and free. And I am here still grateful, grateful for knowing you."
I didn’t know Maurice “Mick” Rehse personally, but I am learning more about him and his sacrifice to the Aitkin community, and I am grateful for it. I also am thankful for my instructors at the NFA. They encouraged us to put a face to a name.
Rehse left his work and family on that October day to serve his community. He gave the ultimate sacrifice, and we never should forget that.
I hope to integrate a program in my home department that’s similar to what the NFA encouraged us to do. Beginning in 2022, Bemidji, MN, Fire Department members will start to study line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) from around the country. The year or fire department won’t be significant, but putting a name to a face and a face to a name will be. Bemidji Fire Department members also will find training value in this assigned project. Each LODD will show trends, such as the importance of pre-planning, of size-up and of clear communication.
