McCrabb: Lentz brothers go from touring Middletown fire station as kids to firefighting careers

On this particular day, a photo was taken of Lolli sitting with the boys in the back of a medic unit.

That picture was snapped nearly 20 years ago and now Lolli’s dark hair has turned gray and the boys have grown into adults.

Jacob, 25, and Josh, 24, are living their dreams as Middletown firefighters and paramedics while Lolli nears retirement after 32 years with the department.

Tricia Lentz said her sons’ love of firefighting was “in their blood” at a young age and when they talked about a career in public safety, she “selfishly” prayed for a safer profession.

“My heart sank at first,” she said when asked her reaction. “But they absolutely love it and that warms my heart and eases the worries. I told them, ‘Ok, we can do this if this makes you happy and this is what you want.’”

Lentz, 48, who lives in Miamisburg, downloaded the Middletown police/fire scanner app when her sons were hired. She seldom listens to the calls. Sometimes the less a mother knows the better.

Jacob graduated from Monroe High School in 2014, and his brother followed the next year. They both graduated from Butler Tech Fire Rescue Academy and worked for years as part-time firefighters in Fairfield Twp.

Now they seem to be home.

“Middletown was where I wanted to be,” Jacob said.

Lolli said the fire department policy doesn’t allow relatives to work the same shift, though it sometimes happens when a firefighter works overtime. He said if “something goes down” at a fire scene, working with a family member may cause “awkwardness.”

The Lentz boys, who are assigned to fire headquarters, haven’t worked the same shift at Fairfield or Middletown. Lolli asked Jacob who would ride in the back of the two-man medic if they rode together.

He smiled and pointed at his younger brother.

“That’s what I thought,” Lolli said.

When Lolli saw the picture of the Lentz boys, he didn’t realize they were his new hires. It’s the first time he ever appeared in a photo with children who later became firefighters, he said.

Now Jacob understands the responsibility of wearing the uniform and serving as a role model.

“It’s crazy to think about the impact Chief Lolli or the other guys have on you when you’re younger,” he said. “It sets in the back of my mind now when kids come in. The impact you have on those kids. Helping their future or planning their future.”

Lolli leaned back in his office chair. He smiled like a proud dad.

“It must have worked from the back of the ambulance,” he said.