FROM THE EDITOR
Turn disaster into opportunity
I
drove down the Duncan Bypass on my commute home from work the same as I do everyday between the months of December 2021 and April 2022 , but each day the scenic view and my perspective changed .
In mid-December , Stephens County Commissioners enacted a burn ban after blazes swept the county and neighboring portions of the state . As fires raged and emergency crews responded , The Banner staff , taking turns , grabbed the camera and walked out the door to head to whichever location happened to be in a blaze at that time to get photos and a story .
It became apparent as the first , second and third months passed that there was a serious issue at hand . In March alone , nearly 20 fires burned throughout our communities . It sent
CHARLENE BELEW
FROM THE GM me back to a few years ago when Oklahoma suffered a horrible drought and as a result began water rationing .
After a very tiring day , while on the road home , I couldn ’ t help but stare at the abysmal view of scorched land - but it wasn ’ t in one place . It stretched for quite a ways , and you could see where the fires had jumped and skipped around . “ I ’ m tired of this ,” I thought . I continued my drive and slouched down a bit in my chair . My mood seemed to worsen . I just wanted a break from reporting the fire headlines , a break for my reporters who already had their plates overfilled , a break for our own Banner family who double as first responders and couldn ’ t stop running ... and then it dawned on me : I wanted a break for each and every one of the brave souls I saw in the field each and every time
I went out . The trained fire and rescue teams , the volunteers , the medics , the true emergency first responders who show up to the call and keep us safe no matter how selfish we ’ re ( self admittedly , I was ) acting . This is when the perspective shift began .
Our burn ban remained intact until the first full week of April . By this time scorched earth began to show peeps of green . The beauty of fresh life in the wake of what once was tragedy astounded me . I was reminded Mother Nature truly is a terrifying but awesome thing .
And slowly but surely , life went back to normal . For me anyway . But it never goes back to normal for the ones who choose to suit up and risk their lives for us each day . So this magazine is for the ones who self sacrifice and willingly put themselves on the line for us . It takes a very special person to stand up to danger and say “ not today .”
Not all heroes wear capes
Since before I even knew what it meant , I ’ ve walked the thin blue , white and red lines . The thin blue line represents Law Enforcement Officers ( LEOs ) and refers to the line between chaos and order . LEOs are that barrier in-between . The thin white line represents Emergency Medical Services ( EMS ) and refers to the relentless effort of those EMS personnel who help in times of emergency and need . The thin red line represents firefighters . Red is associated with fire and the red line refers to the firefighters ’ bravery in the face of fire or danger .
I come from a family of first responders on both my parents ’ sides . From a Chief of Police , a U . S . Air Marshal , numerous police officers and a few nurses on my mother ’ s side to a WWII Physician ’ s Assistant and a LEO on my dad ’ s side , then on to having a firefighter husband , an EMT daughter currently in paramedic school and in November a junior firefighter in my youngest daughter , I can say I know what those thin lines mean .
Little did I know that I would follow in all those footsteps to the medical side myself . I received my first EMR certification in 2015 , and due to life getting busy and letting my certification expire , I am currently taking the EMR class again alongside my husband and our close friends . |
CRYSTAL CHILDERS |
but there are times when we are tasked with calls that would shock and terrify most people and we are tasked with doing it professionally while at the same time keeping our own emotions under wraps . Sometimes it ’ s alarming , being the person who responds to those 911 calls . Knowing someone ’ s life is in your hands . |
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I ’ ve always had a servant ’ s heart , always wanting to help people in some way . It ’ s a trait that was passed down from my mother to me and my oldest daughter . It ’ s not something everyone can handle — always wanting to help people especially in their most dire circumstances — because of what it does to your own heart . It takes a toll on you mentally and physically . But it ’ s something that I walked into willingly and knowingly . It ’ s something that gives my soul peace knowing that we were able to help someone in their time of need . Serving others makes me happy .
Most of the calls we get are mild ,
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There is no such thing as 912 . We are it .
It takes a special kind of person to fill first responder shoes and as you ’ ll see in these stories , Stephens County is made up of some of the best there is . When you hear sirens , please don ’ t just say a prayer for the people involved and their loved ones ; remember the first responders who are doing the best they can to save someone . If and when you see these men and women who walk the red , white and blue lines , or any of the other colored lines , tell them thank you and how much they are appreciated . Not all heroes wear capes . Some wear bunker gear , bullet proof vests or the star of life patch .
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