A shout out to Volunteer firefighters--- Thank you for all that you do!

Yesterday I watched some of our local Volunteer Firefighter's put out a small grass fire by my place, and as I watched them do their thing I thought to myself

"Now there is a real thankless job!"

These guys don't get paid for what they do yet 24/7 their ready to respond, to help you and me when we need them!


They don't just put out fires but respond to car crashes, home injuries, just about anything thing a person might need help with.

Well as a Gulf War Vet I get people stopping me all the time to say thanks---And I think it's you guys who deserve the gratitude.

Sooo from me at least--- let me say,

Thanks for being there and doing all that you do!

a reply to: HardCorps

Living in the DRY and sometimes windy desert southwest, I am eternally grateful for the volunteer firefighter!

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: HardCorps

Living in the DRY and sometimes windy desert southwest, I am eternally grateful for the volunteer firefighter!

I'm in one of those transition zones 30 min drive east will put me atop Wolf Creek Pass high I the rocky mountains. 45 minute drive northwest of here will land me in Moab Utah not far from Canyonlands National park!

we have the threat of two very different kinds of wildfires here and after what happened up in Grand Junction last year we'll all very wary of that danger

Thank You!
Remember....we still make house calls.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: HardCorps

Living in the DRY and sometimes windy desert southwest, I am eternally grateful for the volunteer firefighter!

Same here! With the dry conditions here in the Rio Grande valley, we expect a rash of Bosque fires and the VFD people are heros in saving many homes in the past.

I came from a small rural town on the Plains...many of my friends and family are volunteers. One for nearly 30 years now. Funny thing was, the town had a paid fire department. Completely inept and too fat to be effective. The volunteers were always first on the scene and last to leave and have to go to their jobs the next day. Great thread as usual, HC.

Cheers to all volunteers

Have always lived in areas covered by Vol. FF's. My dad was one for years. My daughters boyfriend is. My younger bro. is a Lt. Memphis TN. (professional) and my cousin just made battalion chief in Memphis.

They were both deployed to the pentagon on 9/11 with Tenn task force 1 urban search and rescue and several pre hurricane deployments.

Not to take anything away from the volunteers whatsever but my favorite story of his goes as follows. (not a lot of details because they tend not to brag) but he was watching the news, a story broke of a man trapped in a collapsed trench. Volunteers on site. He said they were struggling without proper equipment, he called some guys, got their rig, drove outside their zone? and saved the guy.

But big kudos to all the volunteer firefighters out there.

a reply to: HardCorps

I am in absolute love with our local volunteer fire fighters. The paid guys are just as good, but our volunteers are world class and do it for free.

They are well known as the best in the world at putting out oil tank fires. But they are amazing beyond that. I am a grown man, and I still stand there like a kid staring at a man in a Superman costume when they walk by.

Great thread.

There's several volunteer FF in my family. One just got his 50 year pin in 2013. In all, there is almost a 100 years of service in my family.

I have to tell you, there's times when I dread hearing that tone go out. Not always because of fires but more for accidents. Around here, they are the first responders for MVA's and the like. There's been a lot of long talks ( well mostly me listening ) after some of those. Last summer, they answered a call for a close friend who had been in an MVA. All three in the car dead, including a small child.

They ask for nothing except the support of their families. They are as well trained as any professional and many times have to do the same job with a lot less manpower and equipment.

Real heroes and every last one of them would be pissed at me for saying that. In their opinions, they are just helping our community, nothing more.