By Ken D’Angelo
Life Member of Minoa Volunteer Fire Department
Most firefighters have two families. There is the one into which they were born, adopted or married into. There is the one which they joined. For some the two are intermixed. The Minoa Volunteer Fire Department in particular and quite a few other departments share a common feature. They are not just a family but are rather, in many cases, a family of families. This is both an accurate and figurative statement.
If you look at the Minoa Volunteer Fire Department roster you will see a dozen last names shared by at least two or more members. Not as obvious are the members who have a familial connection as cousins and in laws. More below the surface but just as much a factor are the husbands, wives, children and parents of all, of the firefighters.
When their loved ones respond to a call for help those left back at home are acutely aware that their loved ones are, by the very nature of the work, in a situation more hazardous that what is experienced by their neighbors. The career of a volunteer firefighter whose family is not on board with their decision to serve the community as first responders will have a miserable and very short tenure. While the families of the members of Minoa Volunteer Fire Department may not share the physical toll that their loved ones encounter, they most definitely share the emotional one. Anyone who is considering joining their local fire department or ambulance service should take this into account and have their family in the conversation regarding this step.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, which is the first day of Fire Prevention Month, the Minoa volunteer Fire Department is holding its first Annual Community Day at Lewis Park located at the south side of the village of Minoa.
You and your family are invited to meet the MVFD family from noon to 5 p.m. The Minoa firefighters are extending an invitation to not only those folks who reside in the Minoa fire district, but also to any reader of this issue of the Eagle Bulletin who would like to learn about emergency services.
If you can’t be a member of the Minoa Volunteer Fire Department that’s not a concern. What you experience may be what will motivate you to consider joining your local fire department or emergency medical service. You will get to see the work that firefighters do. There will be live demonstrations of extricating injured people from wrecked cars, extinguishing car fires and forcible entry techniques.
If you’ve ever wondered why firefighters climb up to the roofs of burning buildings and what it is that they do there, you’ll get to see a demonstration of that job too. There will be firefighter’s gear for you to try on including an air pack. There will be a fire safety booth where you can get information on what you can do to make you and your family safer. Youngsters will have special activities just for them. There will be fire trucks and specialized equipment for you to get up close to and learn about.
Local radio station 92.1 “The Wolf” will be doing a live remote broadcast on site. There will be no need to worry about going hungry. Roast chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and Italian sausage will be available. Later in the day from 5 to 9 p.m. music will be provided by the band “Small Town Shade” and their guest Savannah Harmon. The last and best part is that you’ll get to meet and speak with the members of the MVFD who will be happy to discuss their experiences that have made their service to the community interesting and fulfilling.
By the way, let’s not forget to mention that in the month of July Minoa firefighters spent 82 man hours in training and responded to 39 calls for help that used 100 hours. The August figures are 124 hours of training drills and going on 53 calls for help which used 120 man hours.
