Hanging up his helmet

Mike Steube set his alarm for 6 a.m., so he’d be at the fire station on time for his last shift. But he was already wide awake, shortly before 5.

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“I couldn’t sleep, I just kept thinking how strange it was, that this was going to be my last day, after all these years,” Steube said. “I guess the time is here.”

Steube officially retired after his 24-hour shift that ended at 7 a.m., Saturday.

“I’ve been here 36 years, with the department,” Steube said, looking around the big garage filled with ambulances and fire trucks. “And before that, two years as a kid, with the Explorers. This is what I’ve done my whole life. Don’t get me wrong — I’m excited and happy about my retirement. But it feels really strange, you know? I can’t believe this is my last shift.”

When he got to work, Friday morning, he said it seemed like just another day, except the lingering thought that “this is it.” Then, he started to notice extra people at the department.

“I thought it was weird that some of the volunteer guys were here, at 7 a.m., for no reason,” he said, laughing. “Then Chuck (Mayor Harris) and Jack (Vavra, city administrator) walked in, and I thought, ‘OK, what is going on?’”

The kitchen filled at the fire station living quarters as fellow firemen and city officials wished Steube a long and happy retirement — while also thanking him for his many years of service. They ate breakfast, drank coffee . . . and shared “Steube Stories.”
They told stories about fighting fires, saving lives . . . and friendship, camaraderie.
Steube says there’s been many tragic moments and those that were touching, too.
“I remember we were the second department in the state to take EMT classes, back in the 1970s,” Steube said. “I remember a guy from another department told us not to even worry about how to deliver babies, because if we were involved, we would simply take expectant mothers to the hospital and that would be it.

But, we did — I’ve actually had to deliver a baby, in the middle of the night, at the women’s prison. That was something. And then I was there for another birth — this lady was alone and traveling and started to go into labor. We took her to the hospital, and as we were wishing her luck and saying our good-byes, she grabbed my arm and said, ‘I’ve talked to you longer than anyone else here, through all this. You’re staying.’ And so I stayed through it with her — that was pretty amazing.

“I think one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen, in all these years, was during the downtown fire, when all those people started showing up, with water and stuff for us,” Steube said, referring to the Oct. 20, 2006 fire in York. “And then, when all those people got in a line, and started helping us move hoses . . . that was incredible. This town is amazing — I wouldn’t want to be from anywhere else in the world.

“The city’s always been awesome to me, it’s like family,” Steube said, as he sat at the table with his fellow firemen. “These guys are the best.

“I don’t regret ever deciding to do this with my life,” Steube said. “I knew I wanted to make this my career, but I never dreamed I’d be here this long. I accomplished all my goals, and it’s just time for me to retire. God has something else planned for me now. I’ll never forget one second — it was a great ride.”