Steve Rupe has been protecting Findlay for 24 and 1/2 years as a firefighter. He is also certified as a paramedic and responds to medical calls. He has been in the fire service for a total of 35 years and is potentially 6 months away from retirement.

Steve is a fighter: a fighter of fires, fighting for other peoples property and lives and he is a fighter of cancer as he is a three year survivor of cancer which is still active in his body. Each day he shows up fighting for life on a variety of fronts.

He has worked very hard to be an asset in the FFD training in every possible department. He is a senior firefighter, driver, and at times acting Captain. He is also the only maintenance mechanic and keeps all the trucks in the department safe and operating. He is a state licensed paramedic and is a member of the tech rescue team. “My only goal has been to be a multipurpose tool in the chief’s toolbox,” says Rupe. “I constantly want to learn and I want to know how and why things work.”

When not working extra shifts a week as a firefighter and on off days as a mechanic Steve likes to fish, all types, from bass to walleye and more. He has a boat and frequents Lake Erie and Indian lake. He is a member of ODNR’s Rescue team for Lake Erie and Ohio’s rivers. He loves being outdoors, anything in nature as he was raised in south Texas.

He works each day on the question, “What will be my legacy?” I want to be a jack of all trades to the best of my ability.”

He is fighting his cancer in a non-conventional way through holistic methods as he saw what chemotherapy did to his mother who passed away from cancer at the age of 42.

Steve has a daughter and a son and a granddaughter on the way. And he makes it a point that the little girl will be spoiled!