Richland Volunteer Fire Department honors quick-thinking firefighter with company's 1st valor award

The Richland Volunteer Fire Department recognized the bravery of one of their own during its monthly meeting April 18.

Chief Dave McWilliams started off the meeting by recapping the events of the March 5 fire that occurred at North Woodland Circle.

Ryne Zierenberg, a union carpenter and member of the fire department, was instrumental in identifying a home that was on fire, notifying the resources needed and saving the family dog.

Zierenberg was going from one job to another that day but decided not to go to the second job. On his way home, he smelled smoke that led him to investigate.

“We’ve been having a lot of brush fires lately. He was driving down Hart Road with the windows half-open, and it smelled like somebody might be burning some brush or something. He put his window down a little bit more, and his firefighter instincts kicked in and he thought, ‘Nah, I don’t think this is a brush fire.’ He started driving around and found the fire. He called 911, got everything rolling,” McWilliams recounted.

According to the chief, Zierenberg went up to the house, saw a car in the carport and was worried about someone being inside. He went to the door, saw there was a dog inside, kicked in the door and rescued the dog. He called fellow member Jonathan Rudolph to see if he could relinquish the dog. By the time he returned to the house, a crew was on its way with an engine. By then, the bedroom door failed and the fire was through the roof. Zierenberg couldn’t reenter because he wasn’t wearing his gear.

“Typically, when you are dispatched to a call, someone has given you some kind of information as to what you are getting into and you can have a game plan of what your plan of attack is,” Zierenberg said. “Being without any PPE, I just knew what I was going to be able to do in a short amount of time.”

McWilliams presented Zierenberg with the department’s first valor award.

“As far as I can recall in this department, we’ve never had anybody find the fire, then stay and fight the fire. He stays and fights the fire with no gear on. Because of what he did, it made a difference in the lives of these homeowners. They’re not burying a dog. we’re dispatched at 9:04 p.m., and we have an engine on scene at 9:11 p.m. By 9:13, we have water on the fire. It’s marked as controlled at 10:26. They saved the house because of Ryne’s quick action and intuition to investigate,” McWilliams said.

Said Zierenberg: “At the time, I guess it just felt like another day in the office. But now knowing if I hadn’t gone to investigate, the outcome would have been a lot worse. It would have been most likely a total loss.

“It’s gratifying to know that maybe the family is able to salvage and keep things that are cherished,” he said.

Having members like Zierenberg in the department is important, McWilliams said.

“Members like Ryne are a true testament to all the many hours of training and preparedness that our volunteers go through,” he said.

“In every community, there are quiet heroes who stand ready to protect, serve and risk their lives for the safety of others. Ryne demonstrated that preparedness when he came across that fire, called 911 and rescued the family’s dog — all before any fire apparatus was on scene.”

As for why Zierenberg dedicates his time as a firefighter, he said he relishes the connection.

“Being a part of the fire department is a feeling that is unmatched,” he said. “They are a whole second family outside of your own and will all drop whatever they are doing with zero notice to help in any situation — that is, for either someone in the community or someone in the fire department itself.”