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Lodi's retiring fire chief bids city farewell

Pretz's last day is Thursday

By Layla Bohm
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Friday, June 19, 2009 8:15 PM PDT

Once upon a time, Mike Pretz thought he was going to be a mining engineer.

Then he became a volunteer firefighter.

Now, after 37 years in the fire business, he's retiring Thursday as Lodi's fire chief, a position he has held for eight-and-a-half years.

"It's been a pretty challenging and rewarding eight years," he said Friday. "I don't have any regrets."

Pretz, 57, grew up in Denver and never really thought about a career in firefighting. He was working in the mining field while also working toward a college degree in mining engineering, when a friend called him one day.

The friend worked for the city of Idaho Springs, Colo., and said they were looking for volunteer firefighters, and he thought Pretz would do a good job. So Pretz became a volunteer, a gig that also paid a little money.

Two years later, he was still volunteering when he got another call from another friend.

For the full story, please see Saturday's News-Sentinel.

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