Heroes

A View Of Columbus Through Rose-Colored Glasses

This column is dedicated to acknowledging examples of positives that express the community spirit of Columbus – our town.

With Memorial Day and the Fourth of July occurring shortly, it seems the appropriate time to acknowledge heroes among us. Where should we begin? As for Columbus, it seems appropriate that we name the Columbus Volunteer Fire Dept. members as heroes. There are volunteer fire departments in our surrounding towns and in each of those, the communities regard the fire departments as vital. The word “volunteer” is the key to the naming of heroes. Our volunteer fire department responds to accidental fires in homes, woods, businesses, automobile accidents, and in Colorado County, the river.

There is a great deal of honor that accompanies the name “Volunteer Firefighter”. It’s amazing that with the help of pagers, volunteers respond immediately whether at work, or in the night, or while watching a school athletic contest, or at any other inconvenient moment. The volunteer firefighters are also dedicated to citizens whose pets may be in danger. A recent incident came from folks whose dog was stuck in a “cotton gin”. “Cotton gin” was not a location that rang a bell. Upon arrival, the firemen found the cotton gin reference to be a giant piston “that truly did come from an old cotton gin”. The dog’s curiosity that caused him to stick his head in a hole in the piston was his downfall. He could not pull his head out of the hole. The firemen tried various solutions – one of which was to soak the dog’s head and neck with dish washing soap. In the process, the little dog collapsed. The timing of the rescue became imminent, if the dog were to live. Sure enough, after the dog collapsed and relaxed, the firemen were able to pull him out. He laid very still as if dead, but momentarily he jumped up and shook off all the soap.

The Columbus Fire Station is across from City Hall on Spring Street. The City of Columbus handles the Firemen’s pension paperwork.

Firemen train twice a month and have other opportunities to train in the area. The VFD roster in Columbus does include three ladies. The firemen have various fund raisers and service events.

The Fire Chief for CVFD is Dusty (Doyle Frank) Dittmar. He has a cadre of 2 assistant chiefs, 5 captains, and 5 lieutenants.

The City, the County, and individuals such as Todd Barton have all been supportive in the purchase of special equipment.

As we fly our flags and recite the pledge, let us all be aware and grateful for the work of our Columbus heroes – our volunteer firefighters.