Worlein Funeral Home set out to honor area fire departments this year, and that’s exactly what they did Monday morning in Austin.

“They’re always there,” Worlein Funeral Director Dan McRaith said. “They’re called upon and sometimes I think maybe we take it for granted. And we just want them to know that we do notice their sacrifice. It’s immense and their dedication is immense also.”

Director Paul Worlein, Community Services Director Mary Kittleson and McRaith of Worlein presented the Austin Fire Department with a wooden ladder made by Rich Hingeveld, which had a pair of fireman’s boots, a fireman’s jacket and a helmet attached to it. The idea came from McRaith, who did something similar at a funeral home in Janesville, Minnesota, where he worked previously.

After a year of many tragedies in the early 2000s, where McRaith said the funeral home worked very closely with the fire department many times, he and a friend decided to honor the fire department for all the work they did, but also the work they do every year.

“To kind of recognize their dedication and the sacrifice that they gave for our little town,” McRaith said.

After that, the memorial ladder was used at funeral services for firemen or retired firemen, at different fundraisers and displayed in the fire station. Kittleson said after McRaith presented the idea, she started to think it could work in this area as well.

“That’s what we set out to do then, is in a year’s time visit each of those departments and show our appreciation,” Kittleson said.

A memorial ladder was presented to five area fire stations over 2015, including Austin, the Blooming Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, the Brownsdale Volunteer Fire Department, the Lyle Volunteer Fire Department, and the Dexter Volunteer Fire Department.

Fire Chief Jim McCoy said the memorial ladder is a great way to honor and remember those who came before them.

“We can always remember those that have served and passed before we did,” he said. “They’re the ones that built this organization and made it what it is today, and we need to honor them.”

He was glad Worlein gave them this memorial ladder, which they can use at services and fundraisers in the future.

“It’s very thoughtful that they would think of us, that they would want to give back,” McCoy said. “It’s a very nice memorial, it’s heartfelt, it’s thoughtful. Sometimes your emergency services are taken for granted unless they’re needed, and for people to be proactive and think of us is very nice.”

Kittleson said funeral services are very personalized these days, and this memorial ladder can be a nice addition to the service to show people what the individual found important in their life.

“Anybody who’s been a firefighter, whether it’s a paid position or a voluntary position, that’s an important piece,” Kittleson said. “They’re doing that for some reason.”

For firefighter Josh Kunze, the memorial ladder is a good way to show the firefighters they aren’t forgotten.

“It’s really nice to know that people in the community are thinking of us, it’s just a constant reminder of the support that we have from the community,” Kunze said. “We live here for 24 hours at a time, so every little card or well wish that we get from the community means a lot to us.”

He hopes people will see the memorial ladder and understand how big of a commitment it is to be a firefighter.

“Being a firefighter is a big part of a lot of people’s lives, and just to kind of pay homage to what they’ve done and all the time they’ve put into their careers, it’s really special to other firefighters to see that,” Kunze said. “And we appreciate everyone that came before us and everyone who will come after us.”