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Waterloo swears in its 553rd firefighter, Daniel Zan
Summary
Waterloo officials swore in Daniel Zan as the city’s 553rd professional firefighter. Mayor Dave Bosen and the fire chief praised Zan’s work ethic, urged intensive training and noted the personal sacrifices fire families make under the department’s 24-on/48-off schedule.
Daniel Zan was sworn in as Waterloo Fire Rescue’s 553rd professional firefighter during a brief ceremony in Station One, officials said. The department chief opened the event by praising Zan’s “blue-collar work ethic” and noting that Zan, a 2018 graduate of Union High School, came to the department’s attention after speaking with current members.
Mayor Dave Bosen, who said he spent 28 years of his career with the fire service and later served as a battalion chief, administered the oath and urged Zan to commit to daily training and the service’s traditions. “Train like your life depends on it because it does,” Mayor Bosen said, adding that firefighters must hold themselves “to a higher level of accountability than the average person.”
Bosen also emphasized compassion and the family aspect of firefighting. “Treat people with compassion and dignity the way you would want to be treated if you were in their situation,” he said, noting that a firefighter’s immediate family effectively “just grew by over 100.” He described the work schedule—24 hours on, 48 hours off—as a significant sacrifice for families.
The chief prefaced the oath with logistical instructions and underscored the department’s interest in recruiting people who “get the work done.” Mayor Bosen led a call-and-response oath; Zan repeated the pledge to support the constitutions of the United States and the State of Iowa and “to the best of my ability discharge all the duties of the position of firefighter in the city of Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa, as now or hereafter required by law.”
The ceremony closed with brief, lighthearted remarks and congratulations. No formal votes or departmental actions were taken at the event.
The swearing-in highlights the department’s continued recruitment and the emphasis its leaders place on training, accountability and community service.
