firemen

Since I've been a volunteer firefighter for a few months I guess I should introduce the cast of characters that play out this drama of keeping lives and property safe in our community. I'll be featuring various people over the next few weeks. Above on the left is John Shafer. He's my neighbor (he lives about 1 mile away as the crow flies). He's retired and occupies his time shoeing horses when he's not responding to fires. Sitting next to him is James Rector, he went to school with my daughter Kelly. (most of the firefighters grew up with my two girls) He owns a store next to Barren Fork Creek and it has become a place to meet fellow firemen, have coffee, and visit. He also processes deer meat during hunting season. We are a diverse group of men, each one adding his own unique abilities to the mix, building a rural volunteer fire department that the community can be proud of.