Stratford mourns death of former fire chief
Carlson gave 40 years to Stratford Fire and Rescue
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STRATFORD -- They are the unsung heroes of every community. Across rural Iowa, where small towns are like islands in a massive sea of corn and soybeans, where the roads stretch out long and hard from any hospital or emergency room, volunteer fire and rescue departments are a life-line for local residents. They answer the call in the midst of summer floods and winter storms, often responding to help people they have known all their lives.
So, when a volunteer fire department grieves for one of its own, an entire community grieves with it. Such is the case this week in Stratford and surrounding communities with the sudden death of Assistant Fire Chief Grant Carlson.
A 40-year veteran of the Stratford Fire and Rescue Department, Carlson, 61, died Sunday, Sept. 6, while on a camping trip in the local area. While a precise cause of death has not yet been determined, it was described only as sudden and unexpected, of natural causes.
To the Stratford community, it is nothing other than heart-breaking, according to many.
"Grant (Carlson) was one of the most reliable people we have had," said Stratford Fire Chief Dan Ostrem. "He has been so active, answering calls and holding many offices within the department."
For Carlson, the personal connections to the area he served as a firefighter and EMT ran deep, according to Ostrem.
"He had a love for the community," Ostrem said of Carlson. "He was born and raised here, and he just had a connection with everybody. He was so likeable and easy-going."
That easy-going nature served him well as a leader during challenging calls, according to the current chief. He led by example.
Ostrem recalled that Carlson was chief when an F3 tornado tore through the community on Nov. 12, 2005, taking the life of one local woman and destroying or heavily damaging scores of homes.
"He was pivotal in the initial recovery operations and in all of the clean-up that followed," Ostrem said. "We actually did clean-up for several weeks after the tornado hit."
More than a few times in recent years, the department has also been called upon to help evacuate residents of a small apartment complex when flash floods have inundated that area of Stratford.
With its location within a farming community, and near the confluence of the Boone and Des Moines rivers, volunteers help with everything from river rescues to cornfield fires, auto accidents, and all types of health emergencies.
Carlson was a certified EMT and responded to both fire and rescue calls. An elementary school and nursing home in the community contribute to Stratford being one of the busiest volunteer departments around. In a typical year, the department averages 180 rescue calls and 60 fire calls that are handled by the 30 volunteers in the department, according to Ostrem.
Stratford is also unique because of its proximity to the county line. In addition to working with other Hamilton County fire and rescue departments, the department works closely with departments in Boone and Webster counties. The Dayton Fire and Rescue Dept. will be covering for Stratford during memorial services this week.
At least 12 area departments are planning to be in attendance for Sunday's visitation and Monday's funeral at the Stratford Fire Department. In all, Ostrem expects upwards of 25 departments to be represented.
Typically, law enforcement also responds to many of the same calls with fire and rescue departments. Having started with the Stratford Fire Department in 1986, throughout his career, Carlson, would have worked calls with every Hamilton County Sheriff dating as far back as the late K.G. (Jerry) Farnham. But the one who knew him best is most likely retired Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Timmons, who as an EMT/firefighter continues to serve as an active member of the Stratford Dept.
"I don't know if you can put it into words," Timmons said. "He was such a caring, very welcoming person. He always had a smile on his face."
As Timmons noted, one of the challenges of volunteer departments is that they often know the people they are caring for personally. It's a neighbor, a friend, someone's mom or grandmother. When they are dousing a building to put out a fire, or pounding on a chest to save a life, the odds are high that they personally know the people they are there to help.
Timmons described Carlson as a leader who knew how to organize and rally a department of volunteers to work professionally together.
"He will be missed tremendously," Timmons said.
Likewise, Ostrem described Carlson as cool under pressure.
"He had a good head on his shoulder and he could handle stressful situations," Ostrem said. "He took things as they came, and if a problem arose he would just attack it. There wasn't an emergency we couldn't handle."
Carlson was a full-time farmer who made time to give of himself to a host of community organizations. In addition to the Stratford Fire and Rescue Dept., he was active in the Hamilton County Cattlemen's Association, Stratford Mutual Telephone Board, Hamilton County E911 Board, and many other community groups.
The area was turning out in large numbers when visitation got underway on Sunday afternoon. Upwards of 200 people were in line early in the afternoon and visitation would continue until 6 p.m. General parking was provided at Haman Auction and Stratford Gravel Co., with Stratford fire volunteers operating continuous shuttles to get people from the parking areas to the fire station. The same parking options will be available for the Monday afternoon funeral.
Carlson's volunteer work as a firefighter and EMT is a family tradition that extends through at least three generations. Carlson's sons Coyce and Cayson Carlson are active volunteers for the Stratford Fire and Rescue. In addition, Carlson's grandfather, the late Carl Harold Larson, was fire chief for several years. See the sidebar for a full story on this family member who gave his life in service to the community.