Finland Fire Department Honors Jim Sinderman

On Sunday, October 27th, during the Fin­land Volunteer Fire Department’s (FVFD) Annual Raffle and Drawing, Jim Sinder­man was presented a special plaque to hon­or his many years of service with the De­partment.

Jim retired in 2022 af­ter 45 years of service.

Over the years Jim has watched the FVFD grow and expand through hard work and fundraising. In the 1970’s, when Jim first joined the fire depart­ment, they only had one pumper truck and the Fire Department was housed in a small building. It has now expanded into a large garage holding sev­eral trucks, a meeting room and a kitchen. The original building is now used for the EMT’s.

During Jim’s service he fought many fires. Some of the worst fires he battled were the Zion Lutheran Church fire, the Nine Mile Lodge fire and the Moose Ridge in Isabella fire. The Zion Lutheran Church fire started by a lightning strike and the fire con­tinued overnight and was a complete loss. It has now been rebuilt and renamed The Bap­tism River Communi­ty Church.

Jim joined the FVFD back in the 1970’s because he wanted to make a difference, give back to his community and help people. Jim mentioned they were always recruiting peo­ple and looking for new people to help out to replace the re­tirees. Throughout the years there have been many great people in the FVFD. The mem­bers of the department are well trained, smart, educated and very knowledgeable when it comes to fire and res­cue.

The FVFD held their annual raffle and draw­ing at the Four Seasons Restaurant and Bar last Sunday, boasting a nice turnout for the event. It is important for every­one to support and help raise money during the fundraisers for the FVFD. The monies raised goes back into the community to help fight the fires and pro­tect the residents.

There were a wide va­riety of prizes available at the drawing ranging from bar signs, knitted hats, sweatshirts, swim passes and liquor. The raffle winners were:

1st place – $500 Connor Smith

2nd place – $200 Patti Kovdiak

3rd place – $100 Carson Wenger

4th place – $100 Cheri Bischoff

5th place – $100 Chris Frank

Chris Frank generous­ly donated his win­nings back to the Fin­land Volunteer Fire Department.

The FVFD holds several fundraisers throughout the year. The Finland Fire De­partment Wooden Bat Softball Tournament is a favorite of many. This year was the 40th anniversary of the ball tournament. Each year many teams travel to Finland to play and the community comes out in droves to watch. It’s a great weekend filled with fun, sun and activities. During St. Urho’s, which will celebrate their 50th anniversary this next year, the Finland Fire Department cooks out, selling food and their t-shirts to raise funds.

If you would like to make a monetary do­nation to the Finland Volunteer Fire Depart­ment, you can send it to: P.O. Box 556, Fin­land, MN 55603. To purchase a t-shirt, visit their Facebook page or email: finlandfd@gmail.com

Thanks to all the local fire and rescue depart­ments for all the hard work they do, for pro­tecting our communi­ties and keeping ev­eryone safe.