The last 60 days have been filled with surprises: cancellations of tournaments and games, closures of swimming pools and playground equipment, and postponements of parties and gatherings.
The spring days and events that many children looked forward to became more quaint and family-focused as parents and local communities looked for ways to add a little spark to traditions that had been turned upside down.
That spark led to surprises, like the ones the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District has been making as they come down the street towards a child celebrating a birthday.
“The idea was brought forth by one of our firefighters Jerry Barnett,” St. Joseph-Stanton Firefighter Dan Davis said. “He has smaller children at his home.”
Barnett thought that because kids did not have much to do in the absence of in-person school that the firefighters could take a truck, turn on the horns and drive down the child’s street for their birthday.
“I can remember I was on the first one that we went, and was over and Holly Ridge, an eight-year old girl and her name is Stella,” Davis said.
Stella was on the back of the long driveway with her parents as the fire truck turned the corner. The truck’s lights were on and the horn went off as Stella’s parents encouraged her to walk to the front of the driveway.
“She was confused, like why are we walking towards that fire truck?” Davis remembers. But her parents let her in on the idea of what was going on and she couldn’t pedal that bicycle fast enough to the edge of the street to see, you know what was going on.
“As we rolled up there we said ‘Happy Birthday! How old are you? How’s your day going? We also thanked her for inviting us to her birthday party so we became a part of that.”
While maintaining social distancing guidelines, Stella was able to get her picture taken by the truck.
“It was a really good experience for us,” Davis said.
So good that the idea caught on. The St. Joseph-Stanton Department began getting additional requests for birthday drive-bys. As firefighters began to go back to work, the department decided to group calls together in twos or threes, making sure that they could see several children on one trip.
“We realized that we needed to go ahead and put it on certain days and at certain times and that would help both the people that are trying to accommodate the calls but also that way it would give structure to the people so they could plan on us,” Davis said.
On each outing the crew also loads the truck with gear, fire fighting equipment, helmets and breathing masks in case they get an emergency call while they are out celebrating birthdays.
“It’s just a great joy coming around that corner and all sudden you see the kids hopping up and down,” Davis said. “And then, of course, about half run off when you blow the intersection horn because it’s like a train horn.
“It’s a great interaction with the younger citizens of our community. And also it’s a thrill to see the joy on their faces and all the pictures that their parents are taking and, of course, they’re recording it on their phone as well.”
Davis said the outings have also given the volunteers, who spend time together frequently, a way to connect during a time of social distancing.
“We have probationary firefighters, brand new people that are working to get on to the department all the way up to our chief and assistant chief,” he said.
Davis added that birthday celebrations are not the only time that the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District interacts with the children of the community.
The fire trucks can also be seen in every parade the St. Joseph community holds.
The group goes to the schools annually in October to talk about fire safety while also giving kids a tour of a fire truck. They also enjoy going to Elite Daycare and Prince of Peace Community Early Learning Center to talk about what a firefighter’s responsibilities are while also giving the students red fire helmets.
The firefighters also look forward to St. Joseph’s Trunk or Treat where they hand out a lot of candy.
“We want the children to be able to go ahead and approach the firefighters and help them understand that we’re regular people,” Davis said.
Children can gain a better understanding of what firefighters do at the department’s annual open house. The event packed full of fun with coloring stations, bounce houses and Smokey the Dog, also features a house structure where children can practice rolling out of bed or staying low to the ground in case of a fire.
“It connects them to where they’re not afraid of the firefighters so that they have some sense of connection and community with us,” Davis said.
Stay-at-home orders also do not mean that tragedy at home ends. Like other firefighting districts, the St. Joseph-Stanton District has had to work through what training in a pandemic looks like, knowing that they would continue to get emergency calls.
Prior to the mid-March executive order to stay-at-home, the St. Joseph-Stanton team was able to get in an intensive training program that prepares them for rescue missions.
By April, the group was trying virtual training, but as the weather begins to clear up, they should be able to get back outside to work on fire ground training.
“We will have groups of 10 or less, and two separate trucks, and the tankers,” Davis said. “We will go to two separate sites so that we’re not more than 10 as a group to practice our fire ground training.
“I can’t wait and I know a lot of guys are just chomping at the bit because getting together, working on the trucks and making something happen keeps us sharp, but also brings us together as a big team working for a common goal.”
Those goals aren’t always related to fire rescue, though. Sometimes they have to do with keeping their site, located 222 E Warren St., up to community standards.
“Mrs. Denhart and Vicky Reese are instituting the flower beds that are going in at the base of the flagpole,” Davis said.
Lewis Holcomb-Shreeves has also helped the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Wife Tribe with flower boxes for the front of the station.
Some of the flowers that are being planted came from the old fire station that was replaced in 2019. The new station includes a cornerstone from the original building that was located on Lincoln Street.
Alan Wall, Stuart Purcell with the help of Assistant Chief (Casey Buss) and Brian Martin alongside several other volunteers have put rock borders up around the station.
“It’s so pretty out there,” Davis said.
