By Jeff Smith
Flint Journal (Michigan)
Copyright 2007 Flint Journal
All Rights Reserved
FLINT TWP., Mich. — Many children want to become firefighters, and Andrew “A.J.” Ringwelski was no different.
And like most kids, A.J.'s career aspirations changed through grade school: from firefighter, to astronaut to police officer.
However, his heart came back to his first love when his father showed up at his grade school for career day. From that point, A.J. was determined to follow in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather.
Today, the 18-year-old is an on-call firefighter for the township fire department and the third generation to make a living battling blazes.
The teenager is looking forward to donning his firefighting gear, and said the only time the thought of fighting fires worried him was when he watched the 2004 movie “Ladder 49.”
Otherwise, being a firefighter is a dream come true for him.
“I’ve gone to fires with my dad since I was a little kid. It was just something that really intrigued me,” he said.
On Monday, the Township Board unanimously hired him as a part-timer, following his recent graduation from the fire academy.
Due to his age - he turned 18 on May 5 - A.J. was unable to attend the academy last fall when a group of candidates began their training to qualify for the force. In May, five new firefighters were added to the force.
Deputy Fire Chief Mark Rowley said the hiring of A.J. continues a tradition of families serving on the fire department.
“I’ve known the kid literally since he was born, although I never knew his name was Andrew,” Rowley said, with a laugh. “He just kinda grew up in the department. He’s just been around forever.
"(He’s) been to a lot of the fires with his dad, stood back and watched, just kinda watched how things were done,” Rowley said. “He should fit pretty smoothly into the operation.”
The teenager’s father, John, 45, is a captain on the department; his grandfather, Edward, retired from the force in 1984.
A.J. will work under his father at Station One.
“I encouraged him ... both of my kids come with me to certain alarms,” John said, referring to both A.J. and his older sister, Stacey, 21. “I explained to them what we had in fires, what we investigated. I think ... it intrigued him.”
His mother supports him in his endeavor, even though firefighting can be a dangerous field.
“But she was married to my dad,” A.J. said. The couple are now divorced.
For A.J., his current job is not one that any of his friends at Carman-Ainsworth High School could claim to have done, and that’s what makes it “cool,” he said.
His friends are not surprised at his occupation, he said.
“All my real close friends, that’s all they knew I really wanted to do,”
A.J., who graduated this spring from the high school, hopes to further his career by attending Mott Community College and enroll in the fire protection program.
A self-confessed science nerd, A.J. managed to pull off five years of science in four years of high school.
“I’ve been told that chemistry and physics will help me understand how the fire is going to react,” he said, reminiscing about this science courses. “But I don’t know, we didn’t really learn a lot about fires.”
A.J. also enjoyed participating in the district’s music program. In fourth grade, he learned to play the saxophone, and this school year he picked up the euphonium, an instrument that resembles a small tuba.
Just recently, he got a job working on the maintenance crew for the Genesee County Parks system, where he’s assigned to Bluebell Beach in Genesee Township.
With his interest in science, A.J. may continue his education after attending MCC, to earn an engineering degree. However, he hopes it doesn’t come to that.
“I don’t want to sit at my desk in front of a computer all day,” he said.
Three generations of firefighters: “A.J.” Ringwelski, 18, with grandfather Ed Ringwelski and father Capt. John Ringwelski at the Flint Township fire station near Corunna and Dye roads.