Minneota Fire Chief Jeff Sussner, left and Fire Association President Doug DeSmet, center, present Rieder with his award.

Rieder honored as Firemen of the Year

Although he has only been a fireman in Minneota for 3 1/2 years, Shane Rieder's dedication to the volunteer department was recognized recently.
Rieder was named the Minneota Fire Fighter of the Year after being nominated by his peers and then selected for the award by the Fire Chief Jeff Sussner, Assistant Fire Chief Brad Minnehan, and Fire Relief Association President Doug DeSmet.
"I am honored to receive such a nice award," Rieder said. "I appreciate the recognition from my peers."
At the beginning of the year, the Fire Relief Association decided to initiate a Fire Fighter of the Year program in order to recognize and honor the outstanding work within the Minneota Fire Department.
Nominations were written by those within the department when they feel someone has gone above and beyond the call of duty at the scene of a call or a community service. The nominations were then submitted to Sussner, who reviewed them along with Minnehan and DeSmet before voting on a recipient.
Rieder received his award at the Fire Hall during the department's meeting on Dec. 8. The award was beautifully designed and made by two other members of the fire department, Keith Vlaminck and Keith Downing, who are employed by Action Manufacturing.
"Although I was the recipient of this award, I am very blessed to be on such a great department with a group of guys that are very skilled, knowledgeable and trustworthy," said Rieder. "I wish every member of the department could receive one, but I know that we will see many more great stories of service and community involvement from this group of guys in the years to come, allowing for more nominations."
Rieder grew up in Tyler and graduated from Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High School. He and his wife, Dana (Pohlen) and their 5-year-old son, Silas, moved to Minneota in 2019.
Rieder started out as a volunteer with the Ivanhoe Fire Department before moving here. He currently works for U.S. Bank in Marshall.
"I served in the military for 12 years, and the fire department was another opportunity for me to serve and have that camaraderie," he said, when asked why he decided to become a volunteer fire fighter.
"To me, the most rewarding part of being a fireman is being able to serve the community I live in. We have a great community here in Minneota. I also enjoy working with the other members of our department."When Rieder first moved to Minneota, he didn't know a lot of the people here.
"Joining the fire department has introduced me to a lot of people and I have made some life-long friendships because of it," he noted. "I look forward to serving our community for many more years."

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