Fire chief makes history in Moose Lake

Jamie Lund

Moose Lake Star Gazette

Joyce Hibke made history when she became the first female fire chief at the Moose Lake Area Fire District on Wednesday, Jan. 1.

The 60-year-old has been inundated with congratulations on her achievement everywhere she goes and online.

Former fire chief Jim Michalski, who is her brother, said he has faith in her abilities to run the department after working with her since she began 21 years ago. Hibke decided to put in the paperwork for the position when Michalski won election to become mayor of Moose Lake after serving as chief for 24 of his 34 years with the department.

There are 775 fire fighting operations in Minnesota. Hibke will be only the fourth female fire chief in the state.

She is pragmatic about the honor as she joins Kelly Lake and Lauri Ketola as the first female sheriff and the first female county attorney in Carlton County.

Hibke was a smoke chaser for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources before following her brother and husband back to her home town of Moose Lake and joining the fire department.

In 2023 she retired from Minnesota Correctional Facility in Moose Lake after two decades of service. She started on first watch as an officer and then moved to the maintenance department.

With the fire department, she drives trucks, fights fires, participates in search and rescue missions and has been the secretary for the department as well as a second lieutenant, another first.

"She's not afraid to do what needs to be done," Michalski said.

Cold start<</span>/strong>

Hibke remembers her first fire after joining the department. It was very cold, about 30 below zero, she said, and a trailer house was on fire. As they watched, a cat raced out of the house on fire and ran for the woods.

Another memorable fire was at the Red Oak Inn. It was one of what has morphed into many all-night fires over the decades.

The Moose Lake department responded to 99 fire or rescue calls in 2024 and had more than 355 calls for the year. The majority of calls are for medical emergencies, from heart attacks to sprained ankles. The calls range from 200 up to 500 a year.

Not only does the department answer emergency calls, they have a smoke detector program to help prevent them. Anyone who needs a smoke detector can call the department and receive one for free.

The department covers the city, Moose Lake Township, Windermere Township and the western portion of Silver Township. It has mutual aid agreements with several local departments, including Barnum and Sturgeon Lake.

Everything runs smoothly at the department, so Hibke does not plan to make any changes in the near future.

"I am excited, it's something different," Hibke said.

New stuff

She is also excited about the new lighted emergency pucks for use at scenes, courtesy of a donation from the Sturgeon Lake Lions Club. They are more visible than cones in a roadside emergency.

Hibke is in the process of adding CPR classes for the general public. She is currently working out the details, but tentatively plans to offer them through the community education program.

Volunteers over 18 are encouraged to join the department. While there have been several females in the department over the years, Hibke is the only one at this time.

The number of volunteers dropped from 32 when Hibke started 21 years ago, to 22 today.

The volunteers are continuously educating the public with warnings and reminders.

"Don't leave candles lit around pets, kids or curtains," Hibke said. "Use space heaters properly, drive carefully on ice and put the cell phones down."

"I think the department is in good hands with Joyce running it," Michalski said. "She will do great at it."

A version of this story orginally ran in the Moose Lake Star Gazette.