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http://www.juddcarrolldentistry.combummer to say, ‘Yes, I have to let this go,’” Chief Velzen
commented, but he has confidence in the capabilities of
whoever takes the torch from him.
One firefighter flew a drone over the burn in order
to capture footage that could be used later for training.
Contrary to rumors, the drone was not melted as a result of
the exercise, but it did get too close to a tree branch and fell
to the ground, as drones do. “It’s really a great educational
tool for a firefighter,” Chief Velzen said.
The training scenario drew in a number of neighbors
and family members of the folks who had previously owned
the house. Watchers enjoyed seeing how the training was
conducted, how the house collapsed, how long it took. After
all, every burn is different.Training, continued
By Justin Tiemeyer
contributing writer
Cory Velzen’s service as
a firefighter began in 2009,
but his interest in fighting
fires goes much further
back. “I always wanted to
fight fires as a kid,” Velzen
said. “I just didn’t know
yet whether or not life’s
circumstances would line-
up to allow me to move into
a career like this.”
But line-up, they did. At
the Monday, February 19,
2024 meeting of Lowell’s
City Council, Mayor Mike
DeVore triumphantly
announced that Velzen
had signed a contract the
previous Friday, to become
the Lowell Area Fire
Department’s permanent
full-time fire chief.
Prior to his promotion,
Chief Velzen had served
as Deputy Chief, training
division lead, and most
recently Interim Chief, all
the while working a second
job as the Maintenance
Manager at Knapp & Vogt
Manufacturing in downtown
Grand Rapids. In addition
to his fire training, he
carries a masters electrical
contractor’s license.
As it turns out, in this
instance, one hand washes
the other. “Those fields have
paid off dividends for where
they translate to the fire
service,” Chief Velzen said.
His work at Knapp &
Vogt sharpened his skills
with maintenance and
leadership, both of which
are integral for his work
with the fire department.
He displayed both of these
skills when he presented the
fire department’s budget (at
that time, as Interim Fire
Chief) to the City Council on
Monday, February 5, 2024,
where he emphasized the
need for training, made theNew Fire Chief, Cory Velzen,
puts family and fire safety first
case for continued funding,
and spoke of the importance
of maintaining engines and
other equipment.
Chief Velzen’s last day
with Knapp & Vogt was
Thursday, February 29,- “I went from having
three jobs to two jobs,” Chief
Velzen said. “The main
job is to take care of your
family. Before any of this
would work, I had to make it
work with my wife and kids.
They are what makes the job
and everything else work.”
Chief Velzen and wife,
Ashley, have two daughters.
Their oldest, Jordan, is
a fifteen-year-old high
schooler, and their youngest,
Brianne, is an eleven-year-
old in junior high. When
asked if his daughters
have shown interest in
firefighting, Velzen said,
“I’ll let them decide when
they want to. The biggest
part is just building a good
foundation of doing the right
thing.”
Fire service goes back
a long way in chief Velzen’s
family. His brother, father,
grandfather, and brother-
in-law are all firefighters,
and ideals like integrity,
duty, and service to others
have been impressed upon
Velzen since an early age.
Raised in a Christian home
and the product of Christian
schooling, Velzen latched-
on to the idea of taking care
of others who cannot take
care of themselves.
As for his impressive
rise in ranks over the past
fifteen years, this was not
a course that Chief Velzen
plotted himself. Rather,
he has always focused on
working hard at the job he is
doing at the time, believing
that doing everything you
are supposed to do now
will prepare
you for the next
step. “Tomorrow
will come soon
enough,” chief
Velzen said.
With a mind
for training,
Chief Velzen is
excited for the
opportunities
that his
promotion offers
for his fellow
firefighters.
For example,
someone is going
to be stepping
into the Deputy
Chief position
he is leaving
behind. Someone
else, or maybe the same
person, will become the
training division lead. The
fire department proceeds
with the natural rank and
file of any paramilitary
operation, where the next
rank down traditionally
steps up to fill any absence,
but Chief Velzen does not
intend to rush the process.
“Let me get a few things off
of my desk,” Chief Velzen
said, “and then we will look
at that.”
Chief Velzen moved to
Lowell after he and Ashley
got married, but he has
been coming out to Lowell
for his entire life, spending
summers at a beloved
cottage on Murray Lake. It
was the fond memories from
visiting the cottage, which
he describes as his “home
away from home,” that
drew him to Lowell when
deciding where to settle
down and start his family.
Chief Velzen has no
intention of doing things
differently at the Lowell
Area Fire Department. The
people he now oversees are
well-trained, the department
delivers what Velzen calls
‘the Disney World Feel”
when they arrive at the scene
of an active fire, and Velzen
took special time to call out
the magnificent leadership
of prior chiefs he has served
under, including Frank
Martin, Ron VanOverbeek,
and Shannon Witherell.
Chief Velzen’s training
experience shines through
in his answer to every
question. As Chief, he wants
to make sure that everyone
is educated, trained, and
built into the best versionCory Velzen is Lowell Area Fire
Department’s new Fire Chief.of themselves. In particular,
he enjoys bringing in new,
young talent, building up
their life skills, and helping
them to learn who they are
and what they stand for. In
a couple, maybe ten years,
Chief Velzen expects that
many of these people will
take their life skills and
abilities beyond Lowell
Fire. “I want their lives to
be better for the days they
spent in the Lowell Fire
Department,” Chief Velzen
said. “When you do that, you
bring in people who want to
be there. It’s a lot more fun
to play for a winning team.”
The department’s
leadership transition has not
been easy, and Chief Velzen
took on more than his fair
share of work, serving, as
he did, as the Interim Fire
Chief, but he was not the
only one who put in extra
hours and extra effort. “All
credit goes to the rest of
the officers during this shift
and transition time,” Chief
Velzen said. “The work they
put in, in the background, is
what allows me to shine and
do what I’m doing now.”
Cory Velzen was
officially sworn-in as Lowell
Area Fire Department’s Fire
Chief on Thursday, March
14, 2024, with Mayor
DeVore, members of the fire
department, family, friends,
and community members
present for the event. True
to form, Chief Velzen closed
out his Ledger interview
with a request from the
community, reminiscent of
Smokey the Bear. “Be safe
out there,” he said, “and be
fire safe.”Chief.