After 46 years in the fire service, including 10 with the Franklin Fire Department, Assistant Fire Marshal Curt Edelmann will retire next week. The community is invited to celebrate his career and wish him a happy retirement at a reception on Friday, July 12, at 2 PM in the Franklin City Hall Training Room (Church Street entrance).
Edelmann’s career includes serving as a lieutenant-paramedic in Illinois, before transitioning to fire prevention and relocating to Franklin, TN. Born and raised in Chicago, Edelmann said three things sparked his interest in firefighting as a child. The first was the fire station across the alley from the apartment building he lived in which he would often visit. The second was the tragic Our Lady of the Angels school fire in Chicago in 1958 which killed 92 students and three nuns who were teachers. He was only in kindergarten at the time, but he knew people who were involved and remembers it vividly. The third was his involvement with the Civil Air Patrol in high school and college, where they often did crash and search and rescue exercises.
After earning a B.S. in biology from Loyola University, Edelmann chose to pursue firefighting, seeing it as a profession where he could respond to medical emergencies. He said at that time most firefighters in Illinois were required to have a paramedic license. He went to EMT and then paramedic school. To gain experience in the medical field, he worked for a while as a nursing assistant at a long-term care facility, where he met his wife, Nancy, who worked there as a nurse. He also became a volunteer firefighter for the Hanover Park Volunteer Fire Department.
In 1978 he was offered a career firefighting position with the City of Park Ridge, IL, which borders Chicago to the north. They had 50 firefighters and two stations. Over the years he became progressively involved with the department’s fire prevention bureau. Because he was a substitute teacher on his days off, he was put in charge of public education and began presenting fire safety programs to children. After his promotion to lieutenant in 1994, his public education duties were reassigned, and he took a second, part-time job working for the Hoffman Estates Fire Department doing inspections, investigations, plan reviews, and more. In 2004 when Park Ridge’s fire marshal retired unexpectedly, he was tapped to assume the role of Fire Prevention Director.
Edelmann retired from Park Ridge in 2008 and went to work for Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. doing fire plan reviews. The City of Franklin was a client. While still living in the Chicago area, Edelmann reviewed several Franklin projects, including the Franklin Police Headquarters, the Williamson County Courthouse, the Drury Inn, and many more. This connection, along with his wife’s family in Middle Tennessee, led them to relocate to the area. He was hired by the Franklin Fire Department in 2014 as a fire inspector and promoted to Assistant Fire Marshal in 2018.
Throughout his career, Edelmann experienced many memorable calls, including riding the tailboard in the 1979 Chicago blizzard, and the unprecedented 1980 Chicago firefighters’ strike. Edelmann’s department was tasked with helping to provide coverage in Chicago. They had to use different tools because Chicago hydrants opened differently than others. He recalled treating a circus worker with a crush injury from an elephant, and a medical call in a rotating restaurant where he had to chase his misplaced bag. A particularly close call occurred during a fire in a high-rise office building when he narrowly escaped flames that exploded from a nearby balcony.
Edelmann received several awards while working for Franklin, including being named the 2016-2017 Fire Administration Staff Member of the Year. He received a Phoenix Award for helping to save the life of a man in cardiac arrest in 2019. The man was a Pumpkinfest volunteer who collapsed at a meeting before the event. The responders, including Edelmann, went on to be recognized at the state level for this call, receiving the EMS Star of Life Award. Additionally, he was honored in April by the Lt. Andrew Crockett Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. He was presented with the Fire Safety Commendation Award for his contributions to public safety as a member of the City of Franklin’s planning and development team for the past decade.
Fire Chief Glenn Johnson said, “Curt has been an integral part of the City of Franklin’s planning and development process. He ensures that fire and emergency services are represented, and reviews plans for code compliance, connectivity, water supply, and more. He is a wealth of knowledge, a dedicated leader and team player, and one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. He has efficiently managed a substantial volume of plan reviews and met deadlines throughout Franklin’s tremendous growth. He has also worked numerous special events, and assisted with emergency responses, especially during severe weather when alarms and fire sprinkler systems were impacted. We are grateful for his unwavering commitment and recognize his significant role in making Franklin a safer place to live. His contributions have undoubtedly left a lasting impact on our community. He deserves heartfelt appreciation for his service to the fire service and the city at large. To say we will miss him is an understatement.”
City Administrator Eric Stuckey said, “Our city has benefitted tremendously from Curt’s technical knowledge and expertise. He’s an unsung hero who’s often behind the scenes, keeping us safe. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him a wonderful retirement.”
When asked about his plans, Edelmann said, “I have no real plans for retirement, which for me is the point of retirement.” He continued, “I’m a Boomer, and work has always been a priority in my life. I want to be able to do what I want when I want. Everybody asks about traveling. Nancy and I are not into traveling. I’d like to start a garden. I plan to read books I haven’t had time to read. I’m not going to touch another code book, so the DaVinci Code is off the list. I’d like to see the movies I haven’t had time to see. I plan on getting more involved with my church.” He said he will continue having lunch regularly with his coworkers and good friends, including Assistant Fire Chief Greg Baltimore, Fire Inspector Wayne Mobley, and retired General Services Technician James Marlin (Ret.). He said, “I have no other plans. I’m sure something will come up.” Reflecting on his time in Franklin, Edelmann said, “I really appreciate the way I was accepted here. Everyone welcomed me.”
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