September 9, 1996

Firefighters find home away from home

       After a hard day’s work, most people head home for rest and relaxation. But not Johnson County volunteer firefighters.  When many of them want to chill out, talk, shoot hoops, play cards or have dinner, they go back to work.  Area fire departments are popular gathering spots. Firefighters say the stations are their home away from home.  “Some people go to church to congregate. Some people go to bars. I guess we go to the fire station to congregate,” said Kevan Crawley, a 24-year-old White River Township firefighter.  “When we’re not on a run, it’s more relaxing to come down here and be around people you know,” he added.  When Darin Hogatt, 25, isn’t working as an operations supervisor at Rural Metro Ambulance Service, he’s hanging out at the Bargersville Volunteer Fire Department.  “I would say I spend a couple of hours a week here. There’s a lot of networking and just general being friendly and talking going on,” Hogatt said. “I not only stop here, but I tend to stop by a lot of the fire houses just to see what’s up.” Fire houses always have been popular hangouts, according to veteran Lt. Curt Moore of Franklin Fire Department, the county’s only career fire department.  “It was nothing for the off-duty guys to be hanging around the fire house,” said Moore. He has been with the department since 1972.   “People would hang around, play cards and shoot pool. At that time, a lot of people didn’t work part-time jobs. But now with the economics being as it is, more guys are working.” H Still, most find time outside of family and work commitments to unite at their fire stations.  So what’s the attraction?  “It’s a bonding thing,” said White River firefighter Eric Lord. “You spend a lot of your time with other firefighters, so we are all one big family.”  “We try to make it as comfortable around here as possible since we’re around here so much,” added White River firefighter Andy Martindale.  That department averages anywhere from two to 10 emergency runs per day.  In addition to responding to fire and ambulance calls, area firefighters also are assigned daily duties, such as vehicle and equipment checks, as well as routine household chores, like cleaning restrooms and mopping floors.  A quick stroll through White River Station No. 2 on Fairview Road, (one of the newer and larger departments) shows the relaxing atmosphere.  The quarters, an open area near the public entrance, contain a full kitchen, including a microwave, refrigerator, dining room table and plenty of counter space.  Across from the kitchen is a spacious family room, where a television, couch, love seat, recliner and a fish aquarium are located.  “We have everything you have in your house to take care of us,” said 16-year veteran volunteer fireman Ed Frederick.  His full-time job, which sometimes tops 12 hours a day, is at Casting Technology Co. in Franklin.  “The whole time I’m off my regular job, I’m here. Firefighting is something I’ve done all my life and I enjoy being around the people,” Frederick added.  “Everything you do at home, that’s what we do here. It’s almost like a second family to you.”  No one is required to staff the Whiteland Volunteer Fire Department 24 hours a day, but day or night somebody can be found hanging around the station.  “Alter a run, most of the time families don’t understand the kind of stress you’re under,” explained Charles Linville, public information officer for Whiteland Volunteer Fire Department.  “So when we come back, we talk about it. To have a place like this to sit, talk and relax, it’s just nice. Most of the time, people come here to get away from whatever.”  Whiteland’s 22 volunteer firefighters built their all-in-one day room/office/kitchen as an extension of the bay, which houses fire trucks and other emergency vehicles.  There’s a brown and yellow plaid couch, two card tables, folding chairs, a refrigerator, microwave and TV.  Five-year Whiteland fireman Mike Holzer said he spends nearly 20 hours a week at the station when he’s not expected to be there.  “It’s just an escape. Just someplace you can go where you have stuff in common with other people,” he said.  “Pretty much we’re a tight-knit group.”  Because many firefighters have regular full-time jobs, former Clark Pleasant Fire Chief Rex Windhorst believes volunteer firefighters are a different breed.  “Nobody is going to get rich or make a living at a volunteer department. They are there because they like firefighting,” he said.  “At anytime, there are people who could stop in there for whatever reason. Some work days and some work nights. A lot of our guys farm and don’t have a lot of leisure time, but when they do, they go down there to watch TV or talk,” he said.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 

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