Heroes' legacy: Pinewood FD closes, but volunteers' example will always inspire

The community lost a part of its history today.

The Pinewood Volunteer Fire Department, which was first opened in 1959, has served the people in the northeast corner of Goldsboro for decades.

And today, it closed its doors, officially, for the last time.

There are many reasons to mark this day, not the least of which is that there have been generations of grandfathers, fathers and sons (and perhaps even a daughter or two) who have devoted themselves to making sure when an alarm sounds, a firefighter answered.

The problem is that it is expensive to run a volunteer fire department -- and even more expensive to be a volunteer firefighter. There was no question that, at some point, there would be a need to merge these efforts with other area fire departments.

The reason for the closure is simple -- the city of Goldsboro grew around the Pinewood Fire Department. As the city annexed more and more land, the area the firefighters served continued to shrink. Now, it makes more sense to apportion out the neighborhoods and streets to other surrounding fire departments.

And so, we say goodbye, and more importantly, thank you, to the volunteers who have kept that fire department staffed and ready for all these years.

And those who wore the uniforms were not the only ones who sacrificed.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to the wives, mothers and children of these volunteers who watched their loved ones leap up from dinner, run off in the middle of the night and who sat worried until they came back home.

They shared their loved ones with us because they were serving a greater good.

The truth is, there is nothing more selfless than someone who is willing to risk his or her own life in service to others.

Volunteer firefighters are not independently wealthy individuals who just sit around waiting for a fire call.

Most of them have real jobs that take their time. There are no days off for fire training -- or at least darn few -- that happens on nights and weekends.

They are required to keep their skills up-to-date and to be physically able to carry a hose and to run through a burning building to rescue its inhabitants.

They must be able to handle the heat of the fire and the bulky safety equipment they are required to wear.

They see all sorts of tragedy -- and are sometimes the last people some of those who are lost in accidents see before they pass.

It is not emotionally easy to be a firefighter. And it is even harder to keep focused on the good when you are surrounded by so much loss.

But there are the high points, too -- the lives that have been saved because of a fire crew, and the small gestures like a family who might have lost everything, but whose family photos or beloved pet survived because a firefighter cared enough to save them.

The Pinewood Volunteer Fire Department family has been part of this heroic crew for decades.

And to them we say, "Job well-done."

Published in Editorials on December 1, 2014 11:09 AM