With two of their firefighters, Travis Miller and Jayson Boon, recently retiring, there are big shoes to fill in the Clearwater Fire Dept.

Travis Miller, who became a firefighter in 2007, grew up around firefighters; his dad, grandfathers, and many of his uncles all belonged to the Clearwater Fire Dept.

“There’s a family tie and it seemed like a good thing to do,” he said. “I like helping people, and it was a way to help people when they need it most.”

Becoming a firefighter takes dedication, there’s a lot of studying and training needed to get certified. And even though they try to prepare firefighters for the hard parts of the job ahead of time, it can still be rough.

“It’s hard when you don’t get the outcome you want,” said Miller. “And it’s always a sad day when one of your own gets injured.”

Even so, it’s all worth it.

“You go through a lot of the same things, so the group you’re in becomes like a family,” he said. “There’s a brotherhood, you’re all there for the same reason. If you need help everyone is willing to give you a hand.”

Miller advises anyone thinking about becoming a firefighter to do it.

“It’s a lot of hard work to become a firefighter but the payoff is huge,” he said. “I have no regrets. If your child gets injured or there’s an accident you know what to do besides calling 911. And the relationships you build are lifelong.”

Miller decided to retire from the department after moving closer to St. Cloud and out of the radius for going on calls. He hopes to finally finish his to-do list and spend more time with his wife, Sara, and his children, Faith, Grace, Emma, and James now that he has more free time.

“It’s kind-of a weird feeling to start and finish a project without being interrupted by a call,” he said.

Jayson Boon became a firefighter in 2008. He’d been asked to join in the past but felt he was playing too much baseball to have the time needed to dedicate to it. He changed his mind after his uncle, who had been a volunteer firefighter in Michigan, passed away.

“There’s a lot of time spent away from your family for training,” he said. “And spur of the moment calls that happen during family events.”

Even so, the comradery with the other firefighters and knowing he helped save someone’s life or property made it all worth it.

The department today responds mostly to medical calls. There aren’t many fire calls, and when there are it’s usually out of Clearwater’s area and they’re called in to help. Boon recalled that one did occur close to the fire hall, however, and laughed that it was the quickest they ever got to a call.

“It sounds wrong to say, but when we actually get a fire call everyone gets excited because it’s what we train for,” he said. “Probably 90% of the calls we get are medicals.”

He advises anyone thinking about becoming a firefighter to ask for permission from their families, as the first couple of years they won’t have time for much besides studying and training, which the department does on the second and third Wednesdays of the month.

Boon is hoping to spend more time hunting and with his three kids after retiring from the department, which he only did because he was promoted at work and couldn’t make most of the calls anymore.

“Travis and Jayson were both great firefighters and are going to be missed,” said Clearwater Fire Chief Ryan Pridgeon. “Travis was always rock steady on scenes, which you need. Jayson was one of my lieutenants and great in that role, too.”

Anyone interested in joining the Clearwater Fire Dept. is encouraged to stop by city hall and fill out an application.