A number of Clearwater’s hometown heroes retired or resigned from the Clearwater Volunteer Fire Dept. in 2020 due to moving out of the area or wanting to spend more time with their family. Nick Eldred and Ryan Sims are two of them.

Wright Co. Patrol Deputy Nick Eldred, who was assistant fire chief when he left, became a police officer as well as a firefighter to follow in his dad’s footsteps, who was an officer and volunteer firefighter.

Originally from Long Prairie, Eldred moved to Clearwater in 2004. He heard the department needed more help, so after he finished his officer field training and received the go-ahead from his supervisor, he applied and became a firefighter for the Clearwater Fire Dept.

He was at the scene of the accident on I-94 that nearly took fellow firefighter Cory Broich’s life in 2010 (see recent story in the Jan. 23 edition of the Patriot). A passing car with bad brakes swerved and slammed into Broich, pinning him between it and the fire truck and breaking both of his legs. 

“It was one of the worst days of my career,” said Eldred. “It was supposed to be me. I was going to unhook the hose from the back of the truck when Cory said he was going to do it because it was his truck.”

As the years passed Eldred was promoted to Lieutenant, then assistant chief in 2016. At the same time firefighter Ryan Sims was promoted to lieutenant. 

“We were a good pair,” said Eldred. “We had a bucket list of things we needed to get done and we hit the ground running.”

A 15-year veteran of the department, Eldred left after he and his family moved to Annandale. His children attend school in the district, and along with his patrol deputy position with Wright Co., he also works as a part-time officer for Annandale. He hopes to someday return to firefighting.

“It was the right move for our family,” he said. “I plan to stay active and will be seeking out opportunities as they come.”

Lt. Ryan Sims joined the Clearwater Fire Dept. to impact others and be part of something greater than himself. 

“It’s very rewarding,” he said. “There are so many good things that happened. You build strong relationships after going through high stress situations together and you know someone always has your back.” 

Sims admitted it can be hard dealing with the aftermath of some calls, like bad crashes on the interstate, but stressed that everyone on the department is good at handling it.

He and his wife recently moved to Florida looking for a simpler life. In Clearwater, they had horses and lived on 40 acres. 

Sims and Eldred both worked on the department’s new fire engine. 

“I sat through all the council meetings,” said Eldred. “We spent two years, hundreds of manhours, building the truck to suit the needs of Clearwater. We didn’t go into it looking to spend money, we were given a cap.”

“I was on the committee,” said Sims. “The new truck was actually specked for the townships, able to hold a large amount of water. People forget about that and just see the price tag.”

Both Eldred and Sims encourage others to consider becoming a firefighter.

“You’ve got to have fun with it,” said Eldred. “It’s a hard hobby to have, but if you fall in love with it it’s the best hobby you can have. There’s a lot of good that comes out of it.”

“You’ll have more good times than bad,” said Sims. “You did something positive in the world and helped people, letting them know they’re not alone in one of the worst days of their lives. You can’t replace that.”

Also retired or resigned from the Clearwater Fire Dept. in 2020 were Capt. Doug Zupan, with 24 years in the department, and Josh Gladis, who was a firefighter for 4 years.

“I’m going to miss my firefighter family,” said Eldred. “I want to thank my previous captains for teaching me so much about leadership.”

“The Clearwater Fire Dept. is probably one of the greatest,” said Sims. “We can be proud of the vehicles and equipment we have along with the positive atmosphere. It all makes a difference.”

The Clearwater Fire Dept. is always looking for firefighters. Anyone who would like to apply to be a hometown hero is encouraged to stop by city hall to pick up an application.