Category: stories

Sarah Reasoner has been an All-America track star, a bodybuilder, and a champion powerlifter. But firefighter is the job that really ended up being her calling.

As Sarah told the Star Tribune recently, “I put on that gear and I knew. This was it. This is what I wanted to do.” She added: “A lot of this job is realizing that we’re supposed to help people, and this world is not about us.”

Reasoner has only been with the department full-time since July. But she’s already one of its best-known firefighters. As shown in the attached photo, she was recently named one of the world’s strongest firefighters in Santa Monica, California in a competition hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Coming in 5th, was the event’s first female competitor.

Reasoner welcomes the physical demands of being a firefighter.

During a recent workout at a gym in northeast Minneapolis, she focused on strengthening her legs and back — doing dead lifts and leg curls. The workouts help her perform better in a job that has already involved going into burning buildings in full gear, she said.

After doing well on the written test, Reasoner spent the summer of 2018 training for the physical exam. In September 2018, on her 30th birthday, she not only passed it but broke the record.

Reasoner graduated from the three-month academy at the end of June and has been on the job since the start of July. For her first three years, she’ll rotate from station to station as needed, filling in for firefighters who call in sick, go on vacation or who are injured. She said she loves the collegiality. She loves the need for teamwork. She loves the physical demands of the job. Her goal is to be a firefighter her entire career.

This job is everything and more of what I wanted it to be,” she said. “It’s challenging every day. Every day, you learn.”

Despite the recent accolades, Reasoner said she simply wants to become the best firefighter she can be. And while she enjoys the strongman contests, she savors doing something meaningful with her strength.

“It’s pretty humbling to know there are guys who have been on this job and women who have been on this job who can run circles around me,” she said.

“It’s humbling and motivating to know that my crew depends on me. And the citizens of St. Paul depend on me.”

Story excerpted from www.startribune.com/to-recruit-more-women-st-paul-fire-department-taps-former-power-lifter/567838382/?fbclid=IwAR0JWIel5RecFm1J7uj0fgTeVxqVjtwxIRNUW_QwRQjxt61fRnvwDSU5rhQ

Josh is an Accountant in Fire, working with grants and the budget process. He has been with the City for almost exactly one year (January 22.)

About four months ago, Josh had his body composition analyzed by a machine that was on temporary loan to the Fire Department. This machine measures the levels of fat, muscle and water in the body. Josh remembers being shocked at the results! He had been running, feeling ok – in no way imagined he had reached 190 pounds with a lower distribution of muscle than desired. He decided to “kick it into high gear.”

First he evaluated what he was eating – meals and snacks. What WAS he snacking on? Josh made healthier choices, forgoing Pop Tarts for almonds and string cheese. He remarked that as an 11-year-old he was thin as a rail and could eat whatever he wanted, but is sadly no longer the case. We lamented for a moment the loss of Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts – a personal favorite for both of us!

Josh also increased his water intake, eventually reaching his goal of a gallon per day. In terms of workouts, he incorporated a mix of weights and cardio. He used a program called ’80 Day Obsession’ as an overall guide to workouts and attention to diet.

Josh dropped from 190 to 177, creeping up a bit to 180 during the holidays, but is working on getting back to 177. He has learned that it really comes down to what he puts into his body. “It’s about making conscious choices,” says Josh. “A friend or coworker may encourage you that ‘it’s just one cookie’ or it’s just one donut’, which might be true in that moment. But if you have ‘just one’ several days a week, it adds up.”

Josh said that Jody Griffin, our December Employee Story, was exactly right: it has to be long term. As he said, “this is my lifestyle now.”

Beth Ulrich and Dan Bayers are long-time employees in Planning and Economic Development. Combined, they have nearly 60 years of service to the City of Saint Paul.
Dan and Beth have been part of a walking group at lunch for years. An average of four times a week, no matter the weather, they walk downtown over their lunch hour.

Dan and his sister had been planning to hike the Grand Canyon for a long time. They thought they could go down, camp one night, then come back the next morning. For five years in a row they applied for a camping permit, but did not get in as there is a limited supply.

Eventually they decided to do it all in a day. No camping meant no overnight equipment required, which made for an easier, faster hike.

Dan mentioned to Beth that he and his sister had their plan in place. Beth wanted to go too – in fact, her sister wanted to go along! So, it became a four-person adventure.

Beth did a lot of reading and research. The hike from the North Rim to the South Rim is 24.5 miles in length, with another two miles added for descent and ascent. Nearly all accounts of “average hikes” indicated that the last six miles were usually brutal.

They prepared by months of training. Dan’s hikes ranged from 7 to 24 miles depending on the day, including training carrying 19-pound packs at Afton Hills. Beth and her sister trained on the Stillwater Stairs – 12 circuits equal a mile. Dan’s sister, who lives in Denver, has hiked the Colorado Trail for two weeks so was more than ready. The rest of the group flew out a week in advance to acclimate to the altitude. Beth and her sister hiked Bryce and Zion Canyons first to get some practice.

The group was also prepared for emergencies: for example, they had a filtration system at the ready in case water lines were not open.

They began at 5:30 am, when it was still dark. For the first hour, they could only see about a foot in front of them. Twelve and a half hours later they arrived at the top of the South Rim. Beth remembers being about three miles into that last six when she realized “This is not so bad!” It turned out they had trained so well that none of them got even the tiniest sore muscle.

Laughing, they agreed the worst part was Beth slowing them all down by having to repeatedly tie her shoelaces.