Even before I was old enough to be a Fire Fighter, I remember going out on the Canteen truck with my friend's grandfather. We went to a 4 alarm barn fire and served hot dogs and gatorade to the firefighters helping to put out the fire. One bad thing about barn fires is that it is the best place to have a fire. Not the best as far as the farmer is concerned, but as the fire is conderned. Generally the barn is made of wood that is very dry. Within the barn is also dry straw and/or hay. And the hay dust is comparable to saw dust in its explosive capabilities. Barn fires are rarely small for that reason and often involve many fire departments.
While I attended high school, I did joint the Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Company, Company 30. As I was not quite 18 years old, I was a Junior firefighter and could not enter buildings. Often I was just support staff. I also helped with their annual chicken barbeque fund raiser every year selling tickets.
College was only a short distance from home, but even the 20 minutes it took for me to get home is enough time to have a house fire well underway. As a result, I joined a different fire department who covered the area around the college. The Upper Allen Fire Department, Company 23, covered the entire college except our athletic field (which was covered by Lower Allen Fire Department). I wasn't as active with my schooling, but I still went to the weekly training and even took classes at HACC (local community college) about fire fighting, fire rescue, and HAZ-MAT (HAZardout MATerials).
My wife and I currently live in Michigan where the firefighters are paid and don't accept volunteers, so I will have to wait until I can join another fire department.
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Copyright © 1998-2003, Chad T. Lower, Revised -- 1 June 2003