Life with the Leibrocks: 2 years in the making

After two (sometimes long) years, we are delighted to announce that Matt is an official member of the Lakeville Fire Department! He completed his probationary period earlier in April but recently had his swearing in ceremony on May 20, 2013.

I could not be more proud of him and it was so great to have the honor of pinning on his badge during the ceremony. He has worked so incredibly hard for this and genuinely loves being a fire fighter.

Often people are confused by the "paid on call" nature of many fire departments across the country, but basically it means that they are paid per training and per call, versus a part-time salary. To be honest, monetarily it doesn't add up to much, they make a small stipend per call and per training session. However, if you ask any of the dedicated men and women who answer this important calling, none of them would say that they do it for the money.

Like many service members (police, fire, military), they are honored to serve our community. I've known from almost the moment that I met him, that Matt has a servant's heart. He loves helping others and being a part of the fire department has given him the chance to do that. I know he takes great pride in being a part of the department and we are so happy that he's been given that opportunity.

Shortly after we got married, Matt began exploring other career options and decided that he'd like to work towards becoming a fire fighter. Both full-time and part-time departments are very competitive so we knew it could take several years for this to become a reality. He first completed an EMT program through the Red Cross and began volunteering at events as well as at United Hospital. Then we began to watch for openings at departments in our local community and quickly realized that we lived out of range for Apple Valley and Rosemount, but were just at the right distance for Lakeville. So when that posting went up and Matt was accepted to the recruitment class we were thrilled.

Throughout his 2 years as a "rookie," he completed both Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II state certifications as well as a bunch of other specialized training. I think his favorite part so far has been the camaraderie with the guys, but he's also loved talking to kids at community events, doing live burns and learning how to drive the truck.

I love that we get to be a part of our local community in this way and really value the great friendships that we've made with some of Matt's fire fighter buddies and their wives. Growing up with a police officer Dad, I always loved the camaraderie that comes with being a part of public service like this and I'm so happy that Matt and I get to have that for our own family.

Closing with a few photos from the day. Baby and I are very proud of you Mattie!