No one said serving as a volunteer firefighter is easy.
They put their lives on hold and miss family functions, holidays, ball practices and doctors’ appointments.
They continuously put themselves in danger, running into — yes, INTO — a burning building, crawling into confined spaces, moving through a hostile environment or driving into Mother Nature.
They sit at the scene, offering a shoulder of comfort to a new widow who could not have planned for such an unbearable moment.
They return to work after seeing the worst on a particularly difficult call that didn’t go as planned, despite their best efforts.
They commit themselves to a profession that has high risk and low salary, honoring the choice they made to help others.
Their families endure the challenges inherent in a livelihood and service to others, their dedication to complete strangers.
And despite their rigorous, seemingly endless training, they still wonder if they are up to the task that often determines life and death. As John Wayne has observed, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
It is these often-unsung heroes that will be honored beginning at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the eighth annual Sequoyah County Volunteer Firefighter Appreciation Dinner.
“We love this opportunity to do this once a year to honor the volunteer firefighters who are so deserving. It’s such a tremendous attribute to our county. I didn’t realize how valuable they were until I became a commissioner,” says District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers.
A year ago when more than 300 people jammed the Sequoyah County Fairgrounds building, Rogers wondered aloud, “Next year, we may have to find a bigger room.”
With a concrete floor now at the Avis Jackson Show Arena, which is able to accommodate even more people for the annual fete, the dinner and prize giveaways will continue to be held at the fairgrounds, 464101 E. 1070 Road.
“We’ve got lots of prizes. Our sponsorships went up this year. We’re gonna have somewhere between $13,000 and $15,000 worth of sponsorships this year, and every penny is spent on the volunteer fire departments,” Rogers says. “We appreciate our sponsors, because we couldn’t do this without them. We also appreciate Cherokee Nation, which provides the meal.”
Rogers then admitted that there was a time when he didn’t fully appreciate the role of volunteer firefighters.
“Most people don’t understand that. I had no clue when I came in as commissioner. I had to figure it out on the fly. We appreciate all the things you guys do,” Rogers told those involved during Monday’s county commissioners meeting.
“The county elected officials and the Cherokee Nation, this is our eighth annual volunteer firefighters’ appreciation dinner. It’s something we do once a year. It’s just a small way we can show our appreciation for what you guys do,” Rogers said.
State and national legislators, or their representatives, as well as Cherokee Nation leaders are usually among those in attendance to express their appreciation to the rural volunteer firefighters.
Sponsors this year include A-OK Printing, Agent & Mallory-Martin Funeral Home, Armstrong Bank, Cullum Equipment Services & Hanson Mountain Quarry, Firstar Bank, Hog Creek Salvage, Ideal Storage Sheds, Local Bank, National Bank of Sallisaw, Pafford EMS, Premier Home Health, Sallisaw Lumber Company, Sallisaw Pharmacy, Shield of Shelter Insurance, True Family Rentals, Valley Land Title Company, Victory Gun & Pawn, and Zzoom Bail Bonds.
