NEW PHILADELPHIA Lt. Mike Pearch says his 32 years on the New Philadelphia Fire Department has been the most rewarding job he has ever had. Everybody that s a fireman enjoys their career, he said. We like helping people. You wouldn t be a fireman if you didn t want to help people. If for some reason you don t want to help people, this really isn t the job for you because however trivial a call might seem, it s an emergency to that person and you have to keep that in mind.
Pearch is now calling it quits. His last day on the job was Friday, and he is looking forward to retirement.