Firemen of the Volunteer Variety
As this is the first day of the year, I am up early and while the world around me is quiet, I am reflecting on last year and considering the possibilities of the year to come. My mind is all over the place, thinking of things that Melissa and I have discussed accomplishing in the coming year and beyond. I was thinking that Melissa and I needed to sit down and develop a list of our goals and get them prioritized. I have found that the act of committing goals to paper somehow makes them more real and therefore, more attainable. As I considered things that need to go on the list, I received a “Happy New Year” reply from a friend in Wyoming and a reminder that we have a trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally planned for August. So the rally is the first thing on the list. Many of the goals that we have for 2020 involve things related to home improvement, and my mind went back to 2017.
On February 8, 2017, we had a house fire. The fire destroyed one room and did extensive smoke damage to the rest of the house and it’s contents. The incident taught us that a home is much more than a place to keep a lot of “stuff.” We spent months rebuilding and as happens, we realized that we wanted to make some improvements to the house and that we may likely never get to the point where we can say that the job is complete.
I thought about how fortunate we were that we didn’t lose everything in the fire. I thought about the fact that we have a great network of volunteer firefighters in our area, and without them, we would have looked at nothing but ashes. By the time I arrived home that day, I saw probably 40 people in my yard, in my house, and across the road. They showed me what they had done to save the house, minimize the damage, and gave instructions as to what to do next.
Now I have to admit that until that day, I really haven’t given much thought to firemen and first responders. In all honesty, I kind of thought of them in a little of a negative light. Not totally, but to an extent. I viewed first responders and volunteer firefighters a little as thrill-seekers, as attention seekers, and as a little “gung ho” for my liking. I guess I question the reasoning behind someone who would spend time and a substantial amount of money out of their own pockets to be involved with a volunteer fire department. Firemen and first responders were elevated to hero status after 9/11, and rightfully so as America witnessed first hand accounts of the bravery as they rushed into mayhem to help regular people in need. Even then, I gave little thought to the volunteer firemen and first responders. I limited my thoughts to the fact that these firefighters and first responders were doing their job. They were paid to do this.
Today, I have a tremendous appreciation for what they do. Yes, they are a little exuberant when it comes to their tasks. Yes, they buy lights and stickers and sirens and antennas, so that the world around knows that they are what they say they are. They buy their own gear and radios, but most importantly, they bolt to the call, often to do nothing more than to direct traffic and help prevent witness accounts from being blown way out of proportion. Not that directing traffic is being downplayed here because let me tell you upon arrival at my own fire, it was a young lady in a yellow vest who was there to stop me, determine the necessity of my being there, then directing me to my wife and other family members whom I was unable to locate amongst all of the people who were either working the fire or watching the fire. Furthermore, the tasks they perform in these situations help prevent people from running amuck and creating total bedlam at a scene. While writing this, I’m reminded of two first responders who lost their lives while directing traffic at the scene of a wreck.
Then there is this. The fact that there are people out there who have such dedication to what they do likely saves you and me thousands of dollars each year in the form of reduced insurance premiums. These are my neighbors and your neighbors, and they do even more. They search for and apply for grants and government money. They have fundraisers to purchase trucks, build buildings, and buy equipment, and all of this saves you and me a lot of money and may save your life, home, or property.
As I go into the new year, I’m reminding myself to be more aware of the volunteers around me. I remind myself to help by supporting their fundraisers, and especially, I’m reminding myself that when I see someone in a personal vehicle flying down the road with lights and sirens that this is one of my neighbors, hauling ass to go help someone in need.