ADRENALINE RUSH
Fire Cheif recognizes team's contribution, motivation
By Cathy Kafvre features@bullardnews.com

Their ranks include paramedics, professional firefighters, retired US Air Force, military and coast guard, National Guard reservists, and folks with everyday jobs.

They are described as fearless, decisive, analytical, sacrificial, loyal, and compassionate.

Pretty impressive stuff, especially when not one of them gets paid.

Each and every one, from the chief to the newest recruit, serves the community for love, not money.

Keith Newburn is the Chief of the Bullard Volunteer Fire Department.

One of his favorite fire stories is the one where he filed a report to the government listing the cause of the fire as TFS.

A state official called to find out just what TFS stood for. Newburn's answer: The Flaming Squirrel.

"You'd be surprised how many fires are started by squirrels," laughed Newburn who explained squirrels have a tendency to get electrocuted in transformers and then drop to the earth in flames.

There's something reassuring about Newburn. Maybe it's his friendly, relaxed smile or his down-home way of greeting folks or the funny spin he can put on a story.

Maybe it's his unshaven face or the fact that his boots are muddy enough to have actually done some work every day, not just today. He has a way of putting others at ease. If one were to describe him, the word would be fatherly.

He waves visitors into the main room at Fire Station No. 1 with the comment, "Excuse the mess."

He makes the place feel a lot like home. There are no fewer than 12 folding tables stacked around the room with the matching number of folding chairs. This place could hold a crowd and does every time there's a chapter meeting.

If Newburn is father of the BVFD, then his wife of more than 20 years, Betty, is the den mother.

Betty Newburn, whose real job is as a teacher's aide at Bullard Intermediate, adopted the motto "If you can't beat'em, join 'em" when it came to the department.

"She's indispensable," Newburn said.

Along the way, she has prepared innumerable holiday meals at the station for both families - the real relatives and the firefighters -- just in case there is an emergency; someone is always on duty. Besides, Newburn said, it's fun being together.

"We are really a family," Newburn said, as he pulls out a stack of photo albums. "We're a bunch of adrenaline junkies," he said. "Firefighting gets in your blood."

Talking to the chief, it's clear that these men and women think of themselves as brothers and sisters or sons and daughters. Considering how many of these folks are from the same families, it is definitely a family thing.

Assistant Chief Gary Simmons and Newburn became friends working on cars together years ago. Simmons got "bit by the bug," as Newburn describes the desire to fight fires, while he was hanging out with a friend who fought fires.

He's volunteered at the BVFD for more than 10 years, but he makes his living as a paramedic. "Simmons is analytical, a big-picture kind of person," Newburn said. "He watches the surroundings and keeps younger guys from rushing in on something where they'd get hurt."

The idea of a small town volunteer fire department brings to mind enthusiastic amateurs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Of the 30 members of the BVFD, more than half have military experience, training in health professions or have day jobs as paramedics or professional firefighters in larger communities nearby. They come back to Bullard to volunteer their skills, serving friends and neighbors.

Department Captain Richard Smith has a full-time job as an industrial fire fighter at an oil refinery. When he comes home, he brings his experience to the team.

"Richard is protective and loyal," Newburn said. "And that's an asset to many of the younger firefighters."

"Some of the younger ones want to fight fire aggressively, but Richard makes sure it's not at the expense of safety."

Safety is an important concern considering that these volunteers are family. Smith's experience affords a sense of balance to the team.

No department could function without people who handle business affairs. At the BVFD those folks are Lt. Secretary James McBride and board member Sherri Glover.

McBride is meticulous for details, a crucial function, Newburn said, because law requires that all calls and every response be recorded in detail.

"He is a stickler for detail which can be a challenge when trying to catch up with everyone, " Newburn said.

Glover, a CPA and the owner of Sherri's Kitchen, keeps the business records up to date, pays the monthly bills.

"She tells me when it's time to get worried," he said - especially in the area of fund raising.

In spite of all the experience on this team, training is critical, especially given the fact that many of the members get their start at age 14 as soon as they qualify to become junior firefighters.

Training Officer Justin Dominy already achieving the rank of lieutenant, signed up while he was still in high school as a junior firefighter himself.

The son of Bullard Middle School vice-principal Lisa Williams, he attended the fire academy after graduation.

Now, along with training the new guys at the BVFD, he is a professional firefighter in Jacksonville.

Sib Sibila and Stacy Posey round out the rest of the board of directors who govern the BVFD, a non-profit foundation and chartered corporation. Sibila, who is originally from Cuba and speaks three languages at least, is retired Air Force.

He works in his family's business, Oralab, making false teeth and dentures.

"Sibila is very committed, and a long-time friend," Newburn said. "He's the voice of reason when it comes to spending money, and if I can persuade him then I know we have a worthwhile project."

Posey who works at Brookshire's Pharmacy, makes every call she can with the team. Fully decked out in her firefighting gear, her 5'3" frame and her gung-ho attitude has earned her the nickname "Mighty Mouse."

The bunker gear, which includes a helmet, coats, pants, boots, gloves, and a hood, costs about $2,000 per set. Three or four years ago, the team secured a grant to purchase 25 full sets of bunker gear.

Because of grant writing and keeping logs for the state and federal government, Daniel Reemes makes sure every fire is documented with a camera.

He has learned to notice the details from behind the lens in the ten years he has served on the BVFD.

While they are willing to risk their lives, as a firefighter, they don't necessarily expect to get shot at.

Military background is a thing helpful to have, especially when called to put a lightening strike fire at the home of a DEA agent. This particular man was also a gun collector. By the time the fire department got there, rounds were already going off.

The team got close enough to put water on the fire, but when it was over there was shrapnel, bullet casings and shot gun shell casings all around the fire truck.

They were able to rip the wall off the storage building and rescue some 75 cases of shotgun shells before the fire got to them.

East Texas Medical Center Emergency Medical Services starts to sound like a recurring theme as the Chief describes his team. Among the others that have day jobs with ETMC EMS are Dustin Rounsavall, Aaron Wells, Justin Walker and David Taylor.

"Dustin Rounsavall is energetic and compassionate," Newburn said. "And although his nickname can't be printed, Dustin's aunt and Darwin Fuller went to high school together and they gave him a nickname when he was a little boy."

Aaron Wells is another member of the firefighting medical team.

"He can't sit still," Newburn said. "He's very industrious; when he's not fighting fires, he's painting or mowing lawns."

Justin "Jud" Walker is another ETMC employee.

He retired from professional firefighting, but went back to school to become a registered nurse specializing in Emergency Room Trauma.

"He just couldn't stay away (from firefighting),"Newburn said. "So he's volunteering again. He's confident (of his skills) and he inspires confidence."

David Taylor has management responsibilities with Community Development at ETMC EMS, which is the second largest EMS in the United States. The experience and contacts he has gained through his work at ETMC spill over into his volunteer work at the BVFD.

"The community is lucky to have Taylor as a volunteer because he is able to open doors and get us in to see people at the state level," Newburn said. "That kind of help can translate into equipment and trucks."

With four shiny, red fire trucks and an earth-moving rig sitting out in the bays at Station No. 1, having people with mechanic skills is a blessing.

The team has built two trucks themselves, including a tanker truck, which they designed and built from scratch.

David "Boot" Stephens, a mechanic business owner and a "real barn-stormer," is one of the guys who specialize in keeping the trucks ready for action.

One aspect of being local people helping people in crises is the unspoken dread that sometimes tragedies will involve local people that they love.

Stephens experienced the reality of this truth two Christmases ago when the BVFD was the first responder to the fatal accident that took his own brother. "We know that it is inevitable that we will come upon our own people sometimes, " Newburn said, remembering the day they shared with Stephens. "Being there for each other is as important as being there for the community."

There are more than 15 crosses along Highway 69 between Bullard and Jacksonville.

For the BVFD team, every cross has special significance because they were there.

"Whenever a family erects a cross along the highway, that one cross is very significant to them," Newburn said.

The BVFD is usually the first team to arrive.

They secure the site, ensuring safety for passing motorists, extricate and wait with the injured for the ambulances, treat medical emergencies, and set up a landing site for the helicopters.

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-- The story, because of length and detail, will be continued in next week's edition of the Bullard Banner News