For most of you who don't really know me, it's TGIF and 5 o'clock the work week is over. My night life is rather mundane as I spend most evenings answering E-mails from people looking for information on lost relatives in Harris County, as they chase their family history. But it's Friday and a busy weekend is planed as the Fire Department in Whitesville is having the annual members meeting On Sunday at 4 p.m. How does that effect my life and time? Well for those that don't know me, I am a volunteer (no pay) Fire Chief for N.W. Harris Volunteer Fire Department Inc. an organization made up by neighbors for neighbors to provide emergency protection for the Whitesville area. Friday night I have planed to get my annual reports ready to present to the board of directors on Sunday, then to work with the Saturday volunteer work group that will be preparing and cleaning the fire- house and training grounds. Go to the meeting on Sunday with Spaghetti dinner all you can eat after; Done Deal the weekend is planned! What really happened! It's TGIF I pull up to my house and step out of my pickup. My friend Sandra steps out on the porch and says Caso needs you, Now! and tosses me the cordless phone. Caso informs me a fire page has just went out on a trailer fire near my location. "Go get the fire truck," he says. He is just leaving Columbus and will get to the area late. I get back in my truck and drive to the station. I arrive at the fire with the fire truck to find six of my firefighters smiling and saying the fire is out. The structure is safe. I get on the radio to get 911 to tell our neighboring Fire Departments to return to their station. Harris County has duel response on any structure fire—they dispatch two departments to all house fires. As our neighbors fire truck was turning around they happen to spot smoke coming from down the road. Low and behold a large house is totally involved in fire. They call in the location to 911, then have us paged out to that new location to help them. We join them on the scene and set up a water shuttle as this area has no hydrants and the house is fully engulfed in flames.
The time is now 7:45pm and I still have not gone in my house to the beloved air-conditioner or dinner. 9:18pm Water shuttle is over and we are released to go back to station. 10:28pm all three truck are now refueled, re-watered, and reloaded to be ready for the next call. 11:05pm wore out, tired and overheated; it is now shower time at home. Saturday- 7:30 am go to the firehouse. The neighbors are in full force to clean, cut grass, bush hog, and get ready for Sunday. Lunch Break 12:00 noon. Most of the work done, only three of us are left to finish up. Myself the Chief, Normon the board chairman, and Tommy a board member and my next door neighbor. 3:30pm We are now done! Time to go home!
Tommy and I go to my house to sit and visit a while (to cool off). As we sat and talked under the shade of the big oak in the yard, Tommy asked what's that noise? Not hearing that well at my age; I said I don't know. It's coming from the creek near the back of your or my land. Tommy stands up as says "It's a chain saw" but it may be across on the paper company side of the creek. Let's take the 4WD and look. Here we go again! Tommy and I can make a 15min. trip a 4 hr. adventure and not even try.
We leave the yard to go around and 4 wheel the dirt road around to north side of the Paper Company lands. As we go down in a wet bottom Tommy spots a red air pig in the road; Brand New Too! He stops and picks it up to put in the cab, when he goes do you smell anything? Yep , I did! It seems to my nose that air pig is full of ammonia! I told Tommy to put it back on the ground and let's move on. I pulled out my cell phone and called the Sheriff to tell them of the find. They wanted us to meet them at the Church and take them back to the tank. We did as we were told. One car, then two; the search was on for a possible met-lab.
It is now 8:00pm on Saturday as I am trying to explain to Tommy's better half; that yes, we were detained by the police for 3 hours, and no, we weren't in trouble, and no women were involved. We didn't have to wait for the DEA to arrive and I didn't mention the female Deputy, but what an adventure to day was. I have never been so hot for so long and there is still Sunday to go! Thanks Ron |
