The Huntley Farmside

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Farmside
Thursday November 2,2000
Volume 40 No. 43
Your hometown nev\^spaper
© 2000 Press-Republican Newspapers
Huntley Fire Department firefighters (from left) Ken Caudle, Ernie Link, Tim Flannigan, Eric Bentley are among 30 people who presently serve the vllage.The Huntley Fire Department is left to Its own devices to keep up with the growth of this area, while continuing their dedication to the community and fire prevention education.
Himtley Fire Department faces danger, growth
By Shelby Becker
Correspondent
Huntley Is In the process of building one of two additional fire houses. Area growth demands additional services.
When disaster strikes without warning, when spreading flames cause panic and fear, the natural human reaction is to run. Yet here are human beings who face this primal fear, who literally walk into danger and death, first to save human lives and secondly to protect human property. Unfortunately, danger takes its toll. No matter how professional,  no  matter  how  well-trained  or equipped, a firefighter answers each alarm not knowing what they will face or whether personal injury or perhaps even death awaits them.
-International Association of Fire Fighters
For many, the site of a fire truck roaring by is mesmerizing and fascinating. Ambulances with sirens blaring elicit goose bumps and curiosity. Oftentimes, however, we tend to forget about them the moment that they are out of view. Yet for those citizens that call the fire department for help, there comes an enormous respect and grati¬ tude for those that answered the call.
We can find these dedicated individuals in small, rural towns and bustling, crowded cities.
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They are of every race, color and gender. They are married and they are single. They are parents and grandparents. Their days, nights, weekends and holidays are never their own.
Their training will require up to two years of their time and it will continue - after employment - every month. They are firefighters and they number more than 240,000 of this nation's work¬ force.
The average, full-time firefighter will spend half of his or her work week sleeping in bunk-style quarters of the firehouse. It is not unusual to see those same men and women - along with their families - preparing Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner in the fire house kitchen. Emergency calls come at all hours of the day and night and, within 60 seconds, help is on its way.
In 1999,112 fire fighters lost their lives and as many as 10 times that number are injured in the line of duty each year. How do we, as a nation, compensate these men and women? The median hourly wage for firefighters is roughly $15 an hour - $4 an hour more than the average word processor employee.
See Fire Page 4