Firefighters honor fallen comrads
For Chief Jim “Jim Bob” Huhn, firefighting has become a way of life after 30 years service as a volunteer firefighter in McClellandtown, but after all the fires and rescues he has seen, he is still moved by the memorial service held each year to remember fallen firefighters in the county. “It brings back a lot of memories of those who have gone before us,” Huhn said.
The service Sunday at the McClellandtown Presbyterian Church kicked off the 65th annual Fayette County Fireman’s Association Convention with a somber reminder of the dangers involved in firefighting and provided a preview of the week’s events to be held at the McClellandtown Volunteer Fire Department’s fairgrounds. This year the convention is hosted by the German Township fire companies of Adah, Edenborn, Footedale, McClellandtown and Ronco and will run through Saturday, July 19.
The 81st annual memorial service Sunday, which included bagpipes played by the New Haven Hose Company and a message from the Rev. James Bump, pastor at All Saints Church and St. Frances DeSales Chapel, was attended by nearly 200 local firefighters who remembered 36 Fireman’s Association members who have died in the past year.
“These men we honor are men like all of us who know the meaning of service and the meaning of community,” Bump said. “Let them always be remembered.”
Edenborn Assistant Fire Chief Mike “Ham” Kelecic said he has attended the service for more than 10 years and said the memories of fallen comrades are preserved by it.
“It is a moving heartwarming affair,” Kelecic said. “It really brings back the memory of fallen buddies.”
Kelecic and Huhn said that they were especially touched when New Salem firefighter and Buffington resident Scott Vrabel, who died Nov. 14, 1997, when the fire truck he was riding in rolled over in route to a traffic accident, was memorialized.
“I mean I trained Scott. It just gets to you,” Huhn said.
Tony DeCarlo, New Salem’s fire chief and a 27-year veteran, said Vrabel’s death changed his life and his fire company.
“We lost members because of it,” DeCarlo said. “It shows you can’t take anything for granted.”
DeCarlo said that about 100 firefighters died in the United States in the past year in the line of duty. Kelecic said the job is dangerous no mater what the task.
“Any incident can be dangerous from fighting a field fire to flooding,” he said. He said that his station did both just this week and noted that on Tuesday alone they spent 14 hours on the job helping area residents pump flood water from recent rains. He said that the conditions in some areas were so bad his station had to rescue livestock with boats.
While the life of a firefighter is dangerous, Kelecic and Huhn agree that financial support for firefighters is waning and the public’s perception of firefighters isn’t what it was after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Kelecic said that they are still viewed by some as heroes but not as many people are supporting them, while Huhn said firefighters aren’t heroes to the public anymore. Both agreed, however, that financially the departments could be in better shape.
“There is not as much support and we need financial help from the state and the public,” said Kelecic. “We are always scrambling to make a buck and we need equipment. We are the first line of defense in the town, city, county and the state and people have to remember that.”
Firefighters who attend the convention will have a chance to hear from State Rep. Richard Kasunic during the week’s festivities and discuss funding issues for the county’s fire departments. According to Kelecic the German township stations need to raise money for training, fire school, bomb awareness classes, external defibrillator training and new equipment. He also noted that recruitment will be a topic of discussion during the convention, as volunteer numbers continue to dwindle.
During the week, Huhn said firefighters will compete against one another in various events including the battle of the barrel, hose laying, bucket brigade, tug of war and gear and mask scramble. Huhn said bands River Rock, Vibrations, The Classics and Enough Said will perform during the week. He said the convention will conclude with the fireman’s parade at 4:30 p.m. Saturday followed by a performance by the Poverty Neck Hillbillies at 7 p.m.