The feelings are "Mutual", I'm sure......

This past Sunday night there was a very sad occurrence in Sharon. There was a very bad house fire that evening, and sadly the majority of the house was very badly damaged by the fire. When a fire of any great threat occurs, especially to homes and businesses, our local fire companies put out the call for mutual aid. That aid (in this case they needed both men and equipment) is one of the truly great things about living in our small corner of the world. The call I would imagine went out very quickly, as the original Sharon call was for a possible structure fire I do believe.

Jumping into action this night were men and equipment from Amenia, Millerton and Wasaaic, New York and Lakeville and Cornwall in Connecticut. On a holiday eve, men came quickly, but the fire did damage faster. I am not a reporter, but I am a former volunteer fireman, and it was amazing to watch all the pieces work together. Men to the right places. Hose where it was of the best use. Equipment organized and water ferried from a  nearby hydrant. As I said, the loss was substantial, but their efforts, for volunteers, are remarkable.

I failed to mention also the work of volunteer ambulance members who man a treating area, where they meet fireman coming out of the fire in all their gear and air packs. The amount of weight of equipment, the work they do and all makes for tired, hot men very quickly. They are made to take breaks, get O2 if needed, consume cold water, give vital signs to EMT's, cold towel on their necks, and just general take -a - break. I imagine the EMT's can also pull them out of service, if they are concerned by what they may find. Safety. Impressive. Leadership being responsible to their members. Required.

I got to witness this first hand as they called me into action as they needed lots of ice, fast and I had plenty in my ice chest at the store. It felt good again to give a hand, even if in a small way. The good news was no one was injured, and with all that was going on, well, thats just good training, good leadership, and well maybe even a bit of good luck. I heard many were there till five a.m. in the morning, and were in line and marching in the parade at ten. That's dedication.

Lakeville apparatus lighting the scene for safety

(Fire trucks do more than just pump and carry water, as shown above)