Written for High Plains Journal.
By Trent Loos
There have been and there continues to be many things in this life that we take for granted. Our part of the country has seen some pretty volatile weather in the past week and many stories are circulating about emergency situations that developed as a result. In fact, in central Nebraska this week a major thunderstorm with lightning started fires in the middle of the night. Whether it be a fire or not, the first responders are the modern-day minutemen and, no matter the situation, they stand ready to react.
Not only are first responders on my mind because of the weather we have been having but this last weekend I also attended the fundraising and introduction of some new equipment for the Arcadia, NE Volunteer Fire and Rescue. While the population of Arcadia has slipped under 300, the area served by the department has not diminished but has actually grown. Their primary coverage area encompasses land in three counties: Valley, Sherman and Custer.
Let’s stop to think about this a bit. We know that the cost of modernizing equipment never goes down and it is vitally important for these local entities to stay focused on needs instead of wants.
With that said, when you are in a time of extreme need you really don’t care what it costs but rather are focused on how quickly and efficiently they can come to the rescue. On this day in Arcadia, the VFD shared with the public their new equipment purchases that will clearly enhance the convenience and reduce labor load for the first responders. The new tool with the greatest “oh wow” factor was the track chair. The chair has a track on the bottom so that a couple of EMT’s can strap a person in the chair and easily and safely move the person up or down a set of stairs.
I’m sure I had a tour of the fire truck during fire safety week in elementary school but it’s been a while. I was intrigued by the refresher course and was interested to learn about the battery life of the tanks and masks that need to be worn in emergency situations. For example, the old battery pack for the oxygen pump was installed with 27 screws that had to be removed just to replace a battery. The recent purchase has one simple lever that is flipped so the battery can be quickly and easily replaced.
This brings me to a point that I hadn’t thoroughly considered until the last couple of years with the increased controversy about the CO2 pipeline fight is the preparedness of first responders for all potential emergency situations. As I’ve said before, the exposure potential of our communities is constantly changing with dangers far beyond fires. The first responders need to stay up to date on what is happening in the local area and how they need to prepare. As an example, at the most recent CO2 pipeline rupture in Sulfur, LA, there was a tremendous problem because local first responders had not been trained on the dangers of a CO2 leak.
Training is vitally important when you have to respond to the release of an element that has a kill zone of 3 miles. The National Fire Protection Association some interesting facts about first responders:
Volunteers comprise 65% of firefighters in the United States. Of the total estimated 1,041,200 irefighters across the country, 676,900 are volunteers.
The majority of fire departments in the United States are volunteer. Of the total 29,452 fire departments in the country, 18,873 are all volunteer; 5,335 are mostly volunteer; 2,459 are mostly career; and 2,785 are all career.
The number of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. reached a low in 2020. At the same time, call volume has more than tripled in the last 35 years, due in large part to the increase in emergency medical calls. Major factors contributing to recruitment challenges include increased time demands, more rigorous training requirements, and the proliferation of two-income families whose members do not have time to volunteer.
Fire departments today are also expected to provide a wide range of services and multi-hazard response, creating further challenges for resource-constrained departments. It is estimated that 2/3 of the first responders are volunteers which provides a cost savings to the community of $46.9 billion annually in the United States.
In closing, I hope all of us spend a little more time giving thanks and showing our appreciation for someone whose services you hope you never need. I suggest that every day when that whistle blows at noon, we all spend a moment thanking the locals in the community that stand ready to serve their fellow man in their greatest time of need. The dedication of these selfless volunteers is the true definition of community.
Cherry County has an amazing volunteer fire department, their response times and ability are beyond excellent, we are thankful for them every day 🙏❤️