Fire, Floods & Friendship (edit, back)
01/01/2011
It’s 2 a.m. and you’re fast asleep when a loud tone starts blaring from your radio in the other room. Startled awake by a burst of adrenaline, you jump out of bed, race to get dressed, grab your radio and head out the door as quickly as possible. On the way to the scene, you notify the sheriff’s dispatcher that you’re en route. It’s another car accident, house fire, medical emergency, lost person or wildlands fire.
This is the life of a volunteer firefighter. Being a volunteer means you aren’t paid for services rendered. It’s not for everybody, but one thing’s for certain—it’s an excellent way to meet your neighbors.
For three years, I’ve been serving as a volunteer on the Timbo Volunteer Fire Department, which covers much of Stone County, Arkansas. We serve a large territory, much of which is sparsely populated and far away from any fire station. We often travel great distances to handle fire or first responder emergency calls.
My “real job” is to produce Christian media and provide video production products and services to clients across North America. My company, Edgemont Video, Inc., is a long-time organizational member of ASI, which means ministry is my business—and that includes my “business” as a volunteer firefighter in my community.
Volunteer firefighters are of great value to communities across America. Many volunteer fire departments are as well trained and equipped as large metropolitan fire departments where work is done for hire. Like any city fire department, we experience a mixture of successes and failures. Some homes we simply can’t save. But we give every emergency incident our best effort.
Being involved in emergency services can be a lot of fun. In fact, it’s often an adrenaline rush. You have to be careful not to get caught up in the moment and lose your professionalism.
Of course, not all the calls we go on are fun. Most, in fact, are not. Sometimes we see people at their worst—people who have suffered drug or alcohol related accidents or who are faking medical emergencies to try to obtain narcotics. We do get many opportunities to save people’s lives and homes, however. We responded recently to a work related incident where the victim had sustained extensive injuries and would have died if our first responders and medical personnel hadn’t acted as quickly as they did.
We also respond in times of major disaster. In the last few years, our county has suffered four major weather related disasters. Many outside agencies came to help, but the local fire departments were the first to arrive and the last to leave.
My experience as a volunteer firefighter has revealed to me how important it is for Adventist Christians to be involved in their communities. It opens doors to opportunities for sharing our faith. We may wonder why people don’t come to our church events such as seminars or evangelistic series. I’m convinced that many people don’t come because they just don’t know us.
In rural areas, community roots are especially important. In our county, it’s customary to say that people who weren’t born or raised here are from “off.” And that’s not a compliment. Here in the South, you’re especially regarded with suspicion if you’re from “up north.”
I’ve learned how important it is to establish bonds of friendship with people before I try to share my faith with them. Some of my best friends are the 30 people I work with on the fire department. I would never have known them unless I’d volunteered.
I know of many ASI member ministries involved in disaster relief work. It’s clear that responding to smaller disasters is just as important as working major earthquakes or hurricanes. Regardless of the size of a given disaster, each victim experiences the same sense of desperation and need. As a first responder, you get the best opportunity not only to meet the victims’ physical needs, but also their emotional and spiritual needs.
The Bible is full of stories about first responders—for instance, the stories of the Good Samaritan and of Abigail caring for the needs of David and his men. Being a first responder who helps those in need requires time, commitment, personal sacrifice and the willingness to serve when it’s least convenient—often in the dead of night during freezing temperatures and the worst kind of weather.
I’ve found that being a firefighter is one of the best ways to meet the personal needs of my neighbors. It helps solidify both my personal connection and my church’s connection to my community. Never once do I have to wonder whether I’m really needed.
If you’re looking for ways to become involved in your community and make connections with your neighbors, I urge you to contact your local fire department and ask how you can help. You may be surprised to find out just how much they really need you. And they might be just as surprised to find out how willing you are to help. In the end, they’ll be more likely to trust you and to call you “friend.”
