ELKMONT VOLUNTEERS AT NEW GARDEN FIRE

The Elkmont Fire Department were fighting fire in "sauna"weather on Wednesday.  They responded to a house fire Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of New Garden Road and Pepper Farm Lane.  Temperatures in the mid-90s and moderate winds made the response an exhausting effort. 

Elkmont training officer Marty Tyler said manpower was short and the heat was unrelenting as the flames enveloped the one-story home at 21420 New Garden Road.  “It drains us very quickly,” Tyler said. “Smoke is a big problem.”
A medical truck from Elkmont responded with water and Gatorade for firefighters as they took turns manning hoses.

The call came in at 1:40 p.m. and firefighters cleared the scene around 3:45 p.m. No one was home at the time of the incident, Tyler said, and there were no injuries reported.

Source: News Courier and Decatur Daily 

The life of a volunteer!

Just a few things you hear when you and your fire truck arrive at the fire. "What took so long? Where did you have to go to get water before getting here? Can't you drive faster? Can you not get the hose off faster? Why have you not started spraying water? The list of questions goes on and on! These same questions often greet us at each fire.  For those of you who find yourself asking these same questions as the fire truck goes by:

First, volunteers are just what that word means, we don't get paid to stay at the fire house 24/7. If we did, today would have not mattered because the hydrant is almost four miles one way and the other is seven. Volunteers drop what they are doing or leave their homes to go the other way to get trucks to come to fire and some leave after their job and come to help.  Back to getting that fire truck which I do most of the time during the day, we have to follow the same laws as you do in a car.  We have to stop at all signs, train tracks and most of all, slow down when somebody pulls out in front of the trucks.  How they can't see a big red fire truck with its lights on is always a wonder.  Being a driver has a great deal of responsibility.  You can have up to six people in your truck at one time.  You have to take care of them and the truck as you get them both to the fire in one piece.  

As hot as it was today, we have to worry about heat and people getting sick.  It doesn't take very long in full gear and air pack to get overheated.  We are all trained very well and some are very experienced  but we are all volunteers that love doing what we do.  Thank you to all those who came with water to drink, wet cool towels and the ones that rolled and cleaned hoses.  So please remember that we are volunteers!  Thank you Lord for keeping all safe!

A Volunteer Firefighter