Let's Talk by Karen Geyer
You know what?
I love fire guys. Firefighters, Firemen, Fire dogs. I don't care what you call them. I love them all. I've covered a lot of fires and I've been privileged to talk and visit and even wear their bunker gear and go in after a fire. I've seen what can happen when kids play with matches, or when food is left on the stove.
I've seen beautiful homes devastated and acres upon acres of grassland burned. Grass fires have struck my family's farm twice, and I burned off the garden more than once, without meaning to.
No matter how many times I see it, I can't keep from being very afraid. As a mom I know I can run to safety, but I worry about those I love. Four years ago, my sons and my husband fought fire starting about 10 a.m. and lasting on into the night. My sons' friends came to help and stayed all night to put out flare-ups. I still cry when I think of Nathan and Neil and their friends with no equipment but bandanas around their faces and shovels, fighting in the thick of a fire storm. One of those boys, Bryan Beall, started the Silver City Volunteer Fire Department because of that experience. (He is now a firefighter/EMT working for the Cleveland Fire Department.)
We lost our hay barns, tractors, hay, and equipment, but saved much more. Cam Bookout, the Drumright Fire Chief, told me something a long time ago, but I will always remember it. I asked for a damage estimate for a fire report and he said, "You know, I don't know for sure, but I can get that information for you. What I would like to see in the paper is how much we saved."
Well, the fire guys (from eight different fire departments) saved my home again last Monday. (Not just my home, but my lifestyle and comfort.) They also saved four other homes, vehicles outbuildings and barns. The only structure that burned was my kids' tree house. It was falling down, but we couldn't bring ourselves to do away with it, so we don't really count that as a loss.
During the latest fire, it was Kendra who fought alongside her dad and uncle! My heartbeat hasn't settled down yet!
My home isn't much to brag about, but the firefighters are not judgmental. They knew it was important to us. They made a stand and won. The fire was advancing from three sides and the volunteers arrived in the nick of time! It came within 20 feet of my back door.
They started fighting the fire with shovels before the trucks arrived. Fire guys from Olive, Oilton, Silver City, Drumright, Mannford, Jennings, Lawrence Creek, and Freedom Hill responded. Most are volunteers who leave their jobs when a fire page goes out. The response time is remarkable considering the different directions they all come from.
The conditions were terrible. Winds gusting strong and swirling debris -- some of it burning, soot, ashes, and thick underbrush. They fought for seven hours (or more) and stayed to check for flare-ups.
Life would have gone on with one less mobile home in the world, but my lifestyle would have changed drastically. My daughter might not have been able to go on to college. We would have had to relocate, and chances are, moved to a different area. My mementos of my children would have been lost. I know this has happened to many people and my heart goes out to them.
Four years ago I was so stressed, I couldn't really recall much about it. This time, when some of the guys recognized me, I felt proud, and I felt confident I was in good hands. They would wave or give me a "thumbs up" sign. Greg Roberts shouted, "You're safe now." I hope he knows how much that helped me.
I know I gave some of the firefighters something to laugh about. They came back through just as I was running around carrying water in a tea pitcher to put out another flare-up on the hill. I'm sure that looked funny to them, but I've learned to use what's handy and never stop too long to think -- I might back out if I did that!
Well, I don't know all the names of all the fire guys and volunteers who helped, but I want to thank all of them, as well as some friends. These are just a few of the names I know: Marty Moats, Stewart Cox, Cam Bookout, Rod Petit, Greg Roberts, a guy named Rick, Bill Burtchett, Jared James, Daniel McMullen, Brutus Beall, Bill Beall, Mike Burtchett, Randall Fisher, a man whose last name is Sherrill, I think. Then there are Norma and David McMullen, Sharon Hallman, Wanda Bolinger, John and Kaye Geyer and more.
John and Kaye were on their honeymoon during the grass fires four years ago. When they called to check on things, I had to tell them their hay barn and all their hay had burned! This time Kaye was "home alone" and was desperate for help as she watched the fire advance closer and closer to my house. The firefighting volunteers from Silver City and Olive arrived -- like the Cavalry -- just in time to save the day! We have good friends and family members, but the firefighters don't have to do this. For some reason they want to, and am I ever glad. Next time you pray, thank God for firefighters, family and friends.
You better believe I do.