St. Paul firefighter continues family tradition

For Mike Christopherson, fighting fires runs in the family.

Christopherson officially graduated from the St. Paul Fire Department's firefighter academy Friday, much to the delight of his family, including his brother Ryan, who is a department captain, and his father, Larry, a firefighter for more than 23 years before retiring.

Larry Christopherson had the honor of pinning his son's new badge on his shirt Friday after the ceremony at St. Paul College. The graduation capped 16 weeks of rigorous training by 11 prospective firefighters.

"It's been my goal to get this job since I was a kid," Mike Christopherson, 34, said with a smile at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Christopherson said he has fond memories of visiting the fire station when he was younger and spending time with the other firefighters and riding the trucks.

His mother, Jan Christopherson, who admitted being "very emotional" over Friday's graduation, said her son told her he was going to become a firefighter when he was in high school.

"He was very determined," she said. "It was his dream."

Jan Christopherson's father, Richard Harris, also was a firefighter.

Larry Christopherson said he was proud that both Ryan and Mike followed in his footsteps.

"It's the best job out there," he said.

Asked about his younger brother's new job, Ryan Christopherson, 37, said, "I think he will be able to handle himself fine."

It's not uncommon for firefighting and police work to run in a family, said St. Paul Fire Chief Tim Butler.

"A lot of times public safety stuff is passed down from generation to generation," he said.

Mike Christopherson applied to the academy several times before being accepted. He said it was unnerving for him to wait, but fortunately, everything worked out.

After graduating Friday, he said, he's gained 10 more brothers.

Christopherson will start work at Station 18, the same station where his father worked before he retired.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495

Twitter: @stribnorfleet