The other day, the fire whistle blew. I went to the window to watch for the fire trucks to go by. As usual, it reminded me of times long ago. You see, my dad was a volunteer fireman. It was his passion. Many Wednesday nights, you would have found him, at the fire hall working on the trucks.
In small towns, the fire departments are all volunteers from the community. One, there aren’t many fires. And two, the towns, may not be able to afford to compensate them. Honestly, I am not sure of all of the logistics. What I do know, is growing up as the daughter of one.
Some of my earliest memories involve fires and the department. Things that happened back in the early 1970’s probably wouldn’t occur today. Like, taking your young daughter, in the fire engine, to a grass fire in the country. Although, what I really remember, is having to pee outside, at said fire. That was the part that was traumatizing.
Each town has its own fundraising efforts for the fire department. In ours, it was an annual masquerade ball. For 135 years, they have been doing this! On that night, my dad, would proudly dress up in his fireman’s shirt and help out. It may have been a big party, and it was so much fun. And the tradition continues to this day.
Here, in Highmore, we have an annual Rib cook off and dance. Each year, during our Old Settlers day celebration, hundreds of people are able to enjoy some delicious ribs. They end the night with a street dance. Maybe, firefighters really just like to celebrate.
Another thing, they are always a part of parades. Recently, ours were leading the Easter parade with the Easter bunny. In another town, during the 4th of July parade, they are known to have water fights with the watching crowds. Okay, so maybe, some in the crowd, are prepared and have water fights with lots of people in the parade.
Not only do they fight fires, they are our ambulance crew. You can find them watching over football games and rodeos. They are the first on the scene at car accidents, helping to save the lives of our citizens. They are true heroes. No matter what, they are an essential part of any community. What would we do without them? Show your local fire department some love.
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