My nose knows naught
From the porch By Dwight Otwell

Volunteer firefighters are the "cat's meow" to a group of homeowners in Bear Paw in Cherokee County.

We don't tend to spend a lot of time thinking about those who respond to emergencies until we are in a crisis. But in a pinch, they are the most welcome sight in the world.

In big cities most emergency workers are paid. It is how they make their livelihoods. That doesn't diminish their worth or the respect they are due.

But in Cherokee, Clay and Graham Counties, our fire departments are staffed by men and women who volunteer - give of

their time freely without pay, to

help preserve property and lives of their fellow citizens. Most of these volunteer firefighters have full-time jobs. They train on their own time, they attend meetings at night and they are on call to respond to emergencies 24-hours a day.

The March 3 fire that started behind the Bear Paw clubhouse, spread quickly through underbrush and jumped roads, driven by the strong winds. From six to 10 homes were in immediate danger of burning. If the fire had been allowed to burn uncontrolled for awhile every home in Bear Paw could have been endangered.

But fire trucks began arriving within a few minutes after they were notified. Hiwassee Dam was on the scene first - followed by men, women and equipment from Bellview, Ranger, Wolf Creek and East Polk, TN. Volunteers from the Culberson Volunteer Fire Department were put on standby at the west rescue station as there were also two brush fires in the Hanging Dog area and fire forces from the county were being spread thin.

Fire burned right up to several homes, but the firefighters and rescue personnel acted quickly and expertly to save the homes.

Firefighters put themselves in danger all the time. Although they are highly trained, fire can be very unpredictable and change directions in a moment. Those who respond to fires subject themselves to a lot of smoke. I walked through some heavy smoke and I had a headache after I got home from the Bear Paw fire. I wasn't in the vicinity of the fire nearly as long as most of the volunteer firefighters and other emergency personnel.

I've always thought that volunteers who go largely unpraised and unrecognized deserve at least some of the admiration and attention that is showered on the famous - such as musicians, sports heroes and movie stars. These famous people are paid, in my opinion, more than they are worth. The volunteers who fight fires in our communities are paid only by their knowledge that they are doing an important job that needs to be done.

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