Volunteer firemen cited for service protecting lives, homes and property

The county’s volunteer firemen have been on an almost constant run for several months, mostly due to uncontrolled grass and woods fires that got out of control.
“Several months of dry weather and a lack of any significant rainfall to raise ground moisture levels, coupled with an early frost and windy weather have made Walthall and surrounding counties a tinderbox for wildfires,” county fire coordinator Jimmy Boyd said.
Boyd says many countians still aren’t taking the state ordered burn ban seriously.
“Some people are burning at night, thinking they will avoid detection,” he said. “Hundreds of acres, homes and property have been destroyed by people not observing the ban, their fire gets out of control and spreads. With winds picking up and dry dead grass and foliage due to the drought, fire can easily spread over several acres,” Boyd said. “All our firemen are volunteers and most are exhausted from answering calls daily.”
With the drought putting a strain on men and equipment, a group of people, during an impromptu discussion about the local departments responding to fires almost daily, decided to recognize the county’s volunteer firemen.
“These people are all volunteers. They don’t get paid, but they volunteer their time–often leaving their families–to protect our homes, lives and property,” said Teri Hawn, one from the group that got together with the idea of recognizing local firefighters. “It occurred to us what little recognition they get for volunteering for a job most of us wouldn’t do if paid.”
In a short time, the group had contacted several about donating gift cards, gas cards, meals and gratuities or cash to purchase gift cards for the over 90 firemen in the county.
The items were distributed in the form of gift bags at the annual meeting of the county firefighters.
“Each of the firemen in the county received a gift bag as a token of appreciation for what they do to protect our county,” said Hawn.
Several local businesses and individuals supplied the contents for the bags pitching in by donating product, monetary donations, gift cards for local businesses; gas cards and other items.
Hawn noted the group may consider doing another “thank you” package for firefighters involving more businesses. The group put together the gift bags on short notice so they could be distributed at the firemen’s annual meeting.
Hawn said the gift bags distributed at the fire service meeting were made possible by businesses and individuals. She said the group may consider doing another “thank you” package for firefighters involving more businesses.
“We put our group together on short notice,” she said.
Those involved in the initial distribution of the gift bags included:
•Magnolia Steel Erectors, Lennie and Jeanette Bossier;
•Turnage & Son Trucking, Robbie and Lori Turnage;
•Market Max/Pigott Oil, Jeremy Holmes;
•Pools & More, Nicky and Shane Bullock;
•Warriors United, Keith and Ora Wattigney;
•Lagniappe, Renee Phipps;
•The Coffee Caboose, Dennis and Teri Jones;
•Dan Hawn;
•Dinan Baptist Church.
“They all pitched in product, monetary donations, gift cards for local businesses; gas cards and other items.
“Lagniappe gave a free breakfast for firefighters and Coffee Caboose donated the cake for the meeting, as well as coffee.
“Both have a special relationship with firemen. Firefighters responded when the original lagniappe burned to the ground, and departments kept the Coffee Caboose protected and cooled town with water when the neighboring building to the south, housing the Frog Pond Restaurant and Pit Stop convenience store, caught fire and burned several weeks ago,” Hawn said. “My dad was a fireman for a large part of my life.”
“We hope the gift bags let firemen know they are not forgotten, and we really appreciate the service they perform,” Hawn said.