If you’re like me and you just watched the above Duracell commercial, the first line will make you want to stand up and cheer. “If you think heroes are only in movies, consider this: over 70% of firefighters are local volunteers. These are our neighbors putting their lives on the line.” Here in Evergreen and the surrounding communities, all of our fire departments are manned by volunteers.
Watching this commercial reminds me of a fire that occurred in my own neighborhood. It was about 9 P.M., and as I walked into my living room I saw that the sky to the west of me was glowing orange. I grabbed my coat and phone, and ran outside. The moment I was down my driveway, I could see that my neighbor’s garage was on fire. The garage and house were wood, and surrounded by trees. It was a frightening, almost paralyzing moment. We could hear the sirens – we knew help was on the way. But as the first fire truck pulled up, I watched the fire leap from the garage to the roof of the house, and I thought,” Oh, no. They’re too late. The house is lost.”
But that is not the outcome of this story. The firefighters worked with such speed and efficiency that they doused the fire before it could consume the house. When all was said and done, the garage was gone, but the house was still standing and structurally sound. No people were injured. And those of us watching all burst into spontaneous applause, knowing we had just witnessed something heroic – the saving of human life, and the saving of property; but also the saving of a life lived, the photos, the pets, and all the memories that the family had accumulated living in that home. They were saved by extraordinary people: firefighters.
Evergreen's Big Chili Cook-Off 