I hope your home never catches on fire but, if it does I hope the volunteer firefighters will be able to put your comments aside and fight your house fire like they do everyone elses. I especially hope this if your disabled wife, child, mother or anyone you love is inside that burning house. Do you have any idea what it is like to crawl into a burning building with only 1250 gallons of water to protect you? Well, my son does. Oh yes, one or all of our neighboring departments (God bless them) will take their life in their hands to respond to help their fellow firefighters but it takes a long time to get here from there.
I am not too much for posting on forums but, every time I hear someone put down one of our volunteer departments I get angry. My son has been on the Haysi Dept. for over 15 years. I have seen him jump out of his bed and leave his wife and children to go out in sub zero weather to try and put out a house fire or help save the life of an accident victim. I have seen him WALK for hours in 2 feet of snow to carry food to people who couldn't get to the store. I could go on and on. Unless you have walked a mile in their shoes, you don't have any idea what our volunteers go through to help their fellow man. If it were your son I wonder how you would feel about him going on these calls without the proper vehicles, gear, and equipment. How would you like to see your son go into a burning building to rescue someone?
Each and every one of us should take time out to reflect on what our volunteers do for us. They never receive the thanks and praise they deserve.
We should support them in any way we can.
And to the other poster.....where would you rather see your tax dollars go than to buy decent equipment for our volunteers? On what could it be better spent?
Note to my son......I am so proud of you for serving as a volunteer. I hope you are able to do it many, many more years even if it means staying awake all night worrying about you, sitting down to holiday dinners without you because your tones went off just as we were sitting down at the table, getting out of MY bed at 2 AM to come stay with your kids so you can go on a call. You have made many, many sacrifices along with all your fellow volunteers in all the departments. May God bless each and every one of you and keep you safe to return home to your loved ones.
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