Fire!!

A quick blog about another public servant, the volunteer fireman. Most rural areas are served by volunteer firefighters and they are also very common to assist with full time fire departments. They are some of the most excitable people on Earth. They lose their minds when a fire occurs.

When I was in patrol we got dispatched to a house fire one night. The house wasn't occupied but was on fire. I am in a police car, lights and siren on, responding at what I felt was a fast but SAFE speed. You can't do 120mph in a residential area on a street with hills and curves and with side streets every 100 yards. After all, nothing can be done until the fire truck gets there with the hoses and axes and all that other shit. I got passed by a volunteer fireman responding in his pick-up truck with no siren and more lights than the standard hazard lights and a red bulb light mounted on the dash. Are you kidding me?? What the hell is he going to do when he gets there? Watch the house burn until the fire truck gets there?

I have never seen anyone so eager and so fired up to squirt water. They fight over the right to hold the hose. And when it's all over, it's not over. 50 of them will stand around for nearly an hour talking about the fire. What are they talking about? Shut the hell up and move all your cars so we can get down the road.

The other day we decided to burn some leaves at the softball fields. The fields sit about 300 yards off the road and if you pass the entrance to the fields, another 30 short yards down the road is the volunteer fire department. We pondered whether or not the county was under a burn ban and decided that it had rained, there were plenty of us there to handle a little ole' fire and proudly set a pile of leaves afire. Besides, there are only two houses within eye-shot of us.

Oops, didn't know that one of the houses was the residence of the local volunteer fire department's chief or captain or something. He had to be important to the department because he had the keys to the big truck. Turns out we were under a burn ban. He didn't walk over and tell us to put it out, he drove. Nope, not his car or truck... the fire truck. With the LIGHTS and SIREN GOING!! This guy was so excited you would've thought a hospital was on fire. I couldn't believe it. I asked him if the emergency equipment was necessary and he was so out of his mind he couldn't even talk.

Much to his dismay the pump on the truck wouldn't work so he called for back-up. By the time assistance arrived the pile of leaves had burned away and was barely smoking. They fixed the pump and, of course, sprayed the ashes with water.