It was a homecoming for former Tangent firefighters both young and old Saturday as the department celebrated 50 years of service to the community.

"You can't beat a volunteer firefighter, I don't think," said Dale McDowell, Tangent fire chief from 1973 to 1991 and current member of the Tangent Rural Fire Protection District board. "They are the best people in the world."

McDowell, now 79, had been fighting fire with the group for nearly 50 years, since before the district was even formed.

"When we first started, all we had was one vehicle," he recalled. "We didn't even have enough turnouts."

He said that is why one person is pictured in street clothes while the rest are in firefighting gear in the volunteer firefighters photo hanging in the firehouse hallway and published in the Democrat-Herald Wednesday.

McDowell is the second man from the right in the bottom row in the photo, taken in 1960.

Friday night a reception was held for former Tangent firefighters, district board members, resident volunteers, members of the Ladies Auxiliary and their spouses.

McDowell said what he enjoyed most about his nearly 19 years as chief was working with the people - volunteers, board members and citizens.

The former chief is extremely proud of the Tangent Rural Fire Protection District building.

Ground was broken for the new space in 1988, said Mike Purcell, Tangent fire chief from 1995 to 2007. It replaced a cramped, shop-like building next door.

"I spent a lot of good years of my life here," he said, "with a lot of good people."

Fire Chief Stan Parker showed off photos, many taken by firefighter Dennis Weis, at the gathering. A REACH rescue helicopter was on hand, and firefighters gave saftey presentations.

Kids tested their skills in a firefighter obstacle course that included crawling through a tube and rescuing a teddy bear.

At least two "graduates" of the fire district were at the party Saturday.

Ginae Nofziger Boshart was only 16 when she started training with the department as a scout cadet.

"I always thought I wanted a career as a paramedic or firefighter," said Boshart, now 30. "I learned I could volunteer here, and learned a lot from the drills."

Boshart became a volunteer firefighter for the district when she turned 18.

She went on to enroll in Linn-Benton Community College's emergency medical technician program and is now working as an emergency room nurse in Corvallis.

She still lives in Tangent.

One of her fellow cadets, Isaac McLennan, son of Joanne McLennan and Tangent Mayor Seaton McLennan, went on to volunteer at the Corvallis Fire Department.

McLennan, now 29, was hired by Portland Fire and Rescue in 2002.

"There are a lot of good mentors here," he said of the Tangent fire district.