TOWANDA -- It was the late 1970s and 5 degrees above zero. The young firefighter was on a ladder leaning against a house for two hours, fire hose in hand.

"I had to pry myself from the ladder. I was frozen to it. We saved the house," recalled Towanda Fire Chief Royce Kraft. Kraft was set to be honored Saturday at an open house that marked his retirement after 27 years as chief.

Kraft joined the volunteer department in 1975. But the retired farmer turns 65 later this month and department rules say no one 65 or older can be on active fire duty.

"It's time to take a break," he said, citing lots of interrupted family dinners for fire calls and many meetings related to providing the McLean County community with fire protection.

The department had two air packs when he started in 1975 -- now it has 20. Firefighters used to only battle blazes from outside a building because they weren't equipped or trained to fight fires from the inside.

"He's a good leader. He's led the department in the right direction," said Assistant Chief Brett Lueschen. "He's taught me a lot."

"He's very forward thinking," agreed Mike Donald, who was set to be sworn in Saturday as Towanda's new fire chief.

Kraft was a driving force behind getting an ambulance, providing additional training and securing updated equipment for the department, said Donald.

When Kraft began his tenure, being a volunteer firefighter mostly consisted of washing the trucks, pumping water, going to meetings and then playing poker, he said. If there was a wreck, the county rescue squad and an ambulance were called.

"Now, we do our own extrication and have our own ambulance," said Kraft. For today's firefighter, that requires continuous training to not only fight fires, but effectively handle rescue and medical calls.

"There's no card-playing now," he said.