Farewell, fire marshal

April 02-- Apr. 2--By the end of the week, Mike Knoll may be the last fire marshal in Newton for some time.

Retiring after 23 years of serving the community, the longtime member of the Newton Fire Department has spent his last days training and preparing those who will be taking up his position's many duties when he walks out of the fire station Friday.

There is quite a bit of work to take on, too. Fire code enforcements, rental and commercial inspections, fire prevention and fire education, among other tasks, will be dispersed across other positions in the fire department and city divisions. Staff will certainly have their work cut out for them.

Meanwhile, Knoll will be sprawled out somewhere on a beach thousands of miles away, soaking in the sun and the sights and enjoying retirement without a care in the world, right? Actually, he will continue working a job with similar responsibilities as a fire marshal.

"I will be working for a private industry doing fire investigations on the insurance side," Knoll said. "They have investigators all over the country. I'll handle Iowa ... I'm retiring here (in Newton), but I won't be fully retired."

As the town fire marshal, Knoll was constantly involved with the community, whether it was working alongside a business owner to make sure their building is up to code or teaching Newton Community School District students how to correctly respond to a fire.

"It's good to let the community know you're there," Knoll said. "It builds a great working relationship."

This part of the job, he said, is very important, not only for him but for his fellow firefighters and paramedics. Long before he became the fire marshal, Knoll got his start as a firefighter/paramedic for the Newton Police Department.

Knoll moved from the Des Moines area to Newton in 1995 to become the department's first paramedic on staff. Roughly 14 or 15 years later, he was promoted to fire marshal.

Knoll was first introduced to the jobs of firefighter and paramedic in Clive. Back then, he had a degree in horticulture, but he found his calling in serving others.

"Had a change of a career paths," Knoll said with a laugh.

Newton has since become his home. A place where he and his wife would raise two kids. A place where he would meet and befriend several firefighters. People he will miss when he's traveling all around the state at his new job.

Knoll said the realization of his departure hasn't hit him yet, but he's positive it will at some point.

"It's been a great career; it's been a great ride," Knoll said.

Knoll's retirement reception is from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday at the Newton Fire Department.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com

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