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What is it About...Baseball?
What is it About...
The Spirit of Giving?
Firefighting Much More than Fighting Fires
A
few years back after helping with the Cascade Firemans
Picnic in our town for a few years, I wondered why I
wasn’t doing more than just working at the picnic.
I had lived in one town long enough, nine years, to pursue
something I wanted to do since I was a kid: being a volunteer
firefighter. I began to feel like I wanted to give back
something to the community and after talking to a
few people, I was voted in as a Town of Cascade
Volunteer Firefighter.
A lot of people think of firefighting as a glam-
orous job where you just drive to big fires and
put them out and then go home again. I know I
can speak only from the volunteer standpoint, but
it is much more than that.
Entry-level volunteers start on Entry and
Extraction training and help with the “Jaws of Life,”
hydraulic rescue tools used by emergency rescue personnel to
assist extrication of crash victims from vehicles, as well as
other rescues from small spaces. These tools include cutters,
spreaders, and rams.
I have only taken the minimal school training required
for structural firefighting and rely more on the training
schedule maintained by our training officers. I rarely miss a
training session of any kind since I want to learn through
the department rather than in a classroom. Currently, I am
learning how to operate the fire trucks.
There were two separate classes of 30 hours each that had
to be passed to be certified for structural firefighting. They
included driver/operator, wildland firefighting, modern fire
attack principles, ice water rescue and more.
While I enjoy being a firefighter, it is not all fun and
games. Besides classes, there is required training, meetings,
maintenance of trucks and equipment, familiarizing yourself
with equipment you may need to use, and services to the
community.
Calls are not limited to big fires; there are just as many
calls that turn out to be nothing. There are grass fires,
chimney fires, motor vehicle accidents, medical assists,
carbon monoxide alarm calls, ice and water rescues, and
these are just within the fire district of my department.
We also offer assistance through a mutual aid system
set up within the counties of the area. It is good
since rural departments cannot afford to keep large
or multiple departments. If something appears to
be out of the ability of a sole department, there is
a system in place to call for specific help from
specific neighboring departments. It enhances the
feeling of community in my opinion.
Volunteering for this service has made me feel
very connected to my community, a feeling I haven’t
had since I was a kid. I take a certain pride in the fact that
I am possibly helping a neighbor or friend in an extreme time
of need. I may save their home, their property or their life.
It’s a responsibility I take seriously and train hard for so when
the moment comes I can fulfill my duty.
I am always on call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days
a year. I have even begun to ride with our first responders on
Monday nights to assist them in any meaningful way I can.
I have missed out on events and even a bit of work since
I’ve been doing this, but it’s not often and it is worth it.
We are able to afford decent equipment we need to get the
job done, and that doesn’t always come without the support of
our townships we serve, so we are lucky. I do not have any as-
pirations to advance within the ranks because I only do this to
help.
I am on a department with guys who watch out for one
another and try to bring out the best in everyone in
everything that we do. I am not one of those crazy guys who
love fires since I think it is better that we aren’t needed, but I
certainly don’t mind volunteering for such important service.
By Patrick Meyer
(Materials)
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Giving Back to My Community