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Not enough hours in the day for MHP trooper, volunteer firefighter

Posted at 2:28 PM, Jun 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-01 16:28:08-04

MISSOULA – Meet Trooper Andrew Novak. He has been a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper for 15 years and decided to join after meeting some troopers, feeling an instant connection to the job.

“I met a few troopers and was impressed with them professionally and personally as to what I saw and I decided what they did was something that interested me and I thought I might enjoy doing,” Novak said.

When not Trooper Novak he becomes fireman Novak and serves as a volunteer firefighter for the Stevensville fire department.

“It’s interesting and challenging enough and it’s something that I enjoy that I’ve maintained to some degree most of my career," said Novak.

Being a state trooper and a volunteer firefighter takes up a lot of time which leaves Novak wanting more hours in the day

"One of the more difficult aspects of being a volunteer fireman is that you only have so much time," Novak said. "Like everyone and you would like to give more time to the fire department but some things in life simply make that not possible and so that’s a challenge because I’d like to give a lot more time to the fire department than I do."

While he can’t give as much time as he would like he does a good job at plugging recruitment messages when he can

"Well, when it comes to volunteer fire, we’re always looking for volunteers," said Novak

When Novak isn’t serving the community, he spends time with his family, doing everything from skiing to growing fields of hops.

His family is something that is very important to him and thanks his wife for being there to support him.

“Some of my deepest gratitude, you could say, is to my wife who has, is just a wonderful person and has been with me through the whole journey and who is my outlet. The person I can go home and just let out some of the hurt or the frustration that I feel. Who understands it, and who will listen to me and encourage me, and without my wife I don’t know that I could do this job," Novak said.