FROM THE AUTHOR

FROM THE AUTHOR

To each of you that have remained with me as we strolled down memory lane for fifty odd years, please allow me to relate that this trip has been my distinct pleasure. I have thoroughly enjoyed talking with Mr. Crawford Byrd, Mr. Ross Roberts, and Mr. Howard Farmer. These three individuals have been very patient and cooperative as they strained their memories to recall the early history of the ORFD. My special thanks to David Heck for his help in assembling the photographs and information on the equipment. Bill Pappas made it possible to include the photographs by lending his computer equipment and expertise. Many others have made contributions that have made the trip fulfilling. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this book. I have attempted to be make the book as authentic as possible. There were areas that I was unable to find written documentation of the older accounts and I had to rely totally on the memories of those people who were participants in the events. If we erred so slightly please forgive us. It was certainly not intended.

I attempted to inject enough humor to make the reading pleasurable and interesting. My apologies to anyone who might have been offended by the humorous incidents we related. Time and space would allow just a sampling of the thousands of incidents of human interest that have been passed along by word of mouth. I sincerely apologize to anyone that might feel slighted because an embarrassing incident of their fire fighting career was omitted from this book. Most of them have been told and retold every time two or more firefighters sat in on a bull session. During these sessions someone would always say, "Someone should write a book." And so I did. These lighter moments are the things that make life bearable. History emerges even as I continue struggling to complete the work on this book. Two of the retired members of the ORFD have just recently answered their last alarm. William Howard Farmer died Monday, March 10,1997 after an extended illness. Franklin D. Drown died Saturday, March 15, 1997. Frank had suffered from a heart condition that had forced him to take a medical disability retirement a number of years ago.

The ORFD has experienced a number of serious fires recently, two of which resulted in loss of lives to the occupants. On Sunday, Feb. 23 the body of Stanley Reel, 57, was found in the bedroom of his home at 100 Skyline Drive after firefighters extinguished an early morning fire. On Thursday, March 6, 1997 two toddlers died in an early morning fire at 103 Wakefield Lane. One child was 2 years of age and the other was 18 months. Sometimes a few years elapse between fire fatalities. It is especially traumatic for the men who have the unfortunate experience of locating the victims. Even more so when the victims happen to be small children.

To you, the younger members of the ORFD, may your future path be as interesting and fulfilling as the past thirty years have been for me. Listen closely and learn from the experiences of the seasoned fire fighters to whose companies you are assigned. A tremendous wealth of knowledge can be gained from the Vandergriff, Hashbarger and many others. Attempt to build on the rich heritage that has been passed to you from those early pioneers. May God bless and protect each and every one.

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