Donated food stokes firefighters
Four city firefighters spent their Christmas listening to emergency scanners and snacking on donated food.
They responded to calls, holiday or not. They joked with each other between jobs. That morning, they shared a Christmas feast-style breakfast featuring lasagna, and that night they cooked prime rib together.
Capt. Jim Kaufman said the holiday tends to be unmemorable for those on duty. Of his 28 years at the Butler Bureau of Fire, he's worked 10 or 12 Christmas Days, he estimated. “It's pretty quiet, usually,” he said.
Whether big emergencies break out or not, the sudden increase in food at the station is always consistent, he said.
“The community is pretty good to us,” Kaufman said. “It's actually a little overwhelming.”
So how did Kaufman and the others working draw the short straw to work on Christmas Day? They said it's just a matter of how the schedule is built. The department has 16 full timers and two part-timers. Four people are always on call, generally for 24 hours shifts. If you're on the shift that works Christmas Day, there's a good chance you'll keep working it for a couple years until a change in scheduling or a Leap Year knocks you off, Kaufman said.
There is a bit of rejiggering to accommodate families, though.
“We let the guys who have kids go home,” said Jeff Scott, another firefighter who worked Christmas. “We take care of each other that way around here.”
Scott wasn't bothered by his duties Tuesday.
“It's old hat,” he said. “Part of the job.”
He and Kaufman both joked that they were disappointed in the department's gift haul this year. They had been hoping something big, red and wheeled would arrive.
“We were hoping to find a ladder truck under the Christmas tree, but no luck,” Scott said.
The department's old ladder truck failed a test and was decommissioned from use two years ago, the crew explained. The old machine was sold for parts a few months ago. A new one would cost about $1 million, they said.
“It's a very crucial piece of equipment,” Kaufman said.
Even without a new truck, the team Tuesday received a large amount of community support. Mid-morning, Jon and Judy Gould of Butler's First United Methodist Church arrived with several bags of holiday fixings to feast upon.Lt. Scott Longdon said the Goulds' delivery was being added to a much appreciated pile of grub.“We eat well around the holidays,” Longdon said. “We just have to work out a little harder to make up for it.”Another team of four firefighters at the Butler VA Fire Department worked the full holiday. The team couldn't share any information on holiday traditions due to the facility's public relations policies, but they also received food from the Goulds and others.Butler firefighters said they had their former director, the city's mayor, various businesses, churches and individuals to thank for all their donations.Their Christmas safety tips would by outdated by the time this article published, but they offered an important reminder for the upcoming new year: Don't drink and drive.“And have a Happy New Year,” Kaufman added.
