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Letter To The E ditor
RANDOLPH – There’s never a doubt as to the sacrifice and dedication put forth by the men and women who make up volunteer fire departments across northeast Nebraska.
These are people who have families and full-time jobs yet decide to devote much of their time and energy to making our communities safer.
Besides the commitment to responding to emergency calls on a daily basis, these people put in countless hours of training to ensure they are able to adequately serve.
The sacrifice made by local volunteer firefighters was on display again recently as dry conditions and strong winds fueled field fires across Nebraska, including this corner of the state, which was hit especially hard last month.
On Oct. 17, Osmond firefighters were called to the area of 861st Road and 543rd Avenue southwest of Osmond for an unharvested cornfield on fire. Firefighters from Plainview, Pierce, Wausa and Randolph provided mutual aid and personnel were at the scene for several hours after having fought a blaze nearby earlier that day.
That fire burned around 140 acres of unpicked crop.
Several other fires north and south of Randolph kept firefighters busy the same day.
The same could be said across the county and into Dixon and Dakota counties, too.
At a time where some small fire departments struggle to find new volunteers, it’s comforting to see that Northeast Nebraska’s firefighters will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of their communities.
It’s also appropriate to recognize the countless farmers across the area who have utilized discs to stunt the rapid spread of fires. Other farmers have readied large water tanks used to fight fires until emergency officials arrive.
These farmers’ actions serve as a reminder that Nebraskans are always willing to help out a neighbor and, in many cases, a stranger.
I urge you to take the time to thank your local volunteer fire department members.
- Excerpts from the Norfolk Daily News, submitted by Gladys Patent, Randolph
