By Bill Carey
FireRescue1
WATERTOWN, Minn. — Throughout the past 10 years, Watertown Firefighter Hubie Widmer has been visiting every fire department in the state of Minnesota.
Widmer set a personal goal to visit all 775 fire departments before retiring at the end of May, KARE11 reported.
“I said, ‘You know, I want to get my picture taken in front of every fire department in the state,’” Hubie said.
In March, Widmer completed his quest with three months to spare when he and his wife made it to the last station on his list, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport’s Fire Station No.1.
Widmer, a 71-year-old retired Carver County sheriff’s lieutenant, has served with the Watertown Fire Department for nearly 43 years.
Widmer’s wife, Denice, who accompanied him on most of his trips, marked off towns on a 20-page list and photographed her husband in front of each fire station they visited. The photographs fill 14 albums.
“We have basically been to every town in the state of Minnesota,” Widmer said.
Widmer and his wife identified the 775 fire departments using Minnesota state records.