Fire in a small town

By Ken Bilderback

Subjects: Manners and customs, Social life and customs, History, Fire fighters

Description: "Any town that has a fire department, an engine to fight the demon flames with, and a band of sturdy volunteer fire laddies to manipulate the apparatus is on the high wave of prosperity." A newspaper editor wrote those words in 1913 to mark the birth of a fire department in Gaston, Oregon, the dead end of the Oregon Trail. History proved him wrong about the prosperity part, but prescient about the critical role that everyday volunteers played in civilizing the Wild West, and in keeping it civilized today. In fact, today rural areas are more dependent on volunteers than ever before, because in addition to dousing house fires, volunteers have become the primary emergency medical providers for a society increasingly dependent on such care. Yet in many ways, society is making the lives of volunteer firefighters and EMTs more difficult and less enjoyable than ever before.