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by Dan Veaner
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Friday, 14 October 2005 |
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Everybody should go to the Lansing Fire Department's open house on Saturday (10/15). If you see the equipment and the fire fighters up close and in person it begins to give you an appreciation of what they do. Ours is an entirely volunteer department or about 59 volunteers who take volunteerism to the highest imaginable level. They spend innumerable hours training and answering alarms, and put their lives on the line to protect their fellow residents.
In reporting around town I've gotten to see a little bit of what these men and women do. A pager went off during an interview yesterday, and the person I was interviewing dropped everything to answer an alarm. This is not uncommon in Lansing. Folks just drop what they are doing, whether they are at work or at home, rush to the nearest fire house and off they go.
Last week volunteers stood in the rain for hours when a plane crashed in a Lansing neighborhood. They didn't seem to mind as they did what needed to be done.
Just take a close look at one of Lansing's fire trucks. They are enormous. Training to drive them must take some time, but it only begins there. Between fire fighting and rescue equipment, volunteers have to know how to deal with any kind of situation. Hydrants help in South Lansing, but they are not available in North Lansing. The North-most hydrant is in front of the Girl's School on Auburn Road. So volunteers have to know at least two ways to get water onto a fire.
There is a training area where volunteers set things on fire to learn best practices and drill for the real thing. When the opportunity arises they get to practice on a real building. The restaurant across from the middle school will most likely be used for training next month when they burn it to the ground.
On top of this they spend time educating the public. Volunteers have taken the time this week to present programs in the schools, teaching kids what to do and what not to do if they are in a fire.
When you add up the hours it is remarkable to remember that none of these people are paid. They do it for the love of fire fighting and making a huge contribution to their community. As such they deserve our support. So everybody should go to the open house. It will be not only educational, but fun, and it will give you a chance to thank fellow residents who give a lot.
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v1i13
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