During a reception at Fire Station 1 Wednesday afternoon, the City of Great Bend said congratulations to a couple longtime Fire Department employees who have retired. These included Mark Orth who was the fire inspector and served the city for 32 years. His retirement was actually last Thursday, The other was Eugene Perkins, who retired as battalion chief as of Thursday morning, after serving 40 years with the city. Pictured, Perkins, right, receives a handmade wooden plaque as a gift from John Stettinger, who officially retired as battalion chief in Aprill 2020, also after 40 years.