Frozen

With the wind chill expected to be down near single digits, no one should be out in the weather come Monday morning, yet a whole bunch of folks will be. At almost 68, I thought my time working outside in the frigid temperatures was finished. The key words in that last sentence are “I thought.” Unfortunately, I will be one of those frozen folks too. Even our granddaughters understand. “Papa, you’re going outside? You’re going to be a frozen ‘pop’-sicle.” Funny, but true. I wrote this column on Sunday, the day before the deep freeze from the north overtakes our little town. Yep, I may not warm up until sometime Thursday. But I’ve been colder in my life – much colder.

In another life I was a firefighter for over twenty-eight years. When the alarm sounded, even during the worst of winter weather, we hustled to the fire trucks and ambulances. I never heard anyone say, “Wow, it’s really cold out there. We’re gonna freeze if we have to pump water tonight.” No one said that, but I promise you we all thought it. 

Any discomfort we experienced was only four or five hours, eventually ending once we got back to a warm fire station. Sadly, the unfortunate homeowner’s discomfort last for months, if not years. It’s been fifteen years since I rode a fire truck, but I still worry about homeowners when I hear a fire truck and ambulance pass in the distance, especially when it is as cold as it will be for the next couple of days. 

I also worry about the sheriffs and police officers. They were always on our emergency scenes directing traffic and giving support not only to us firefighters, but also to the displaced homeowners. Law enforcement stayed at the fire scene long after we were back at the firehouse. And if the incident happened during the night, they would stay all night.

You can add water and gas department employees to the list of the frozen ones. The gas company is called for most house fires to cut off service at the street, especially if there is a major gas leak. A large gas leak can take hours to fix. Even during a rainstorm, sleet, or snow, firefighters and law enforcement must stand by until all repairs are completed. But there are still more that work frozen on the emergency scene.

Many fire departments use volunteer firefighters who are trained but don’t get paid. Instead of responding from the fire stations, they respond from their homes or workplaces. They work alongside the paid staff fighting the fire, watching over gas leaks, and rescuing folks involved in motor vehicle crashes. And still, with all these people from all these different agencies, there are other frozen ones out on any winter emergency scenes you may not even think about. 

The Red Cross, local food pantries, and church members are also on scene providing services and trying to help anyway that they can. They will be there for hours or even days. You may not think about these fine people when you hear sirens off in the distance, but they are there trying to help folks during the worst times of their lives. And I should know. Not only have I been a firefighter, but I’ve also been someone that needed to be rescued and transported to the hospital – not once but several times. And yes, one of those times I was so cold that if I hadn’t gotten someplace warm quickly, I’d have been frozen. The same way I’m sure to feel tomorrow morning.

This time I’m not rescuing anyone from a house fire, prying open a crushed car to extricate those trapped inside or outside, or working for hours in the cold with no end in sight. Monday morning will be very different, but still very important. Along with six other teachers, I will be a member of an elementary school car rider line. Our job, especially on such a frigid Monday, is to open vehicle doors and make sure all the littles don’t slip getting out and then get inside the school safely and out of the cold. 

I will follow thirty minutes later. That is…if I’m not frozen.