PALESTINECHAMBER . ORG 33
Heroes in many situations By Lisa Tang
Palestine ’ s dedicated firefighters may not be
called to suppress a fire every time , but they know every call can be just as critical as the next .
Crews are ready to respond 24-hours a day to serious life-threatening emergencies like rescuing residents from a house fire or extracting a person trapped inside a vehicle after a severe accident .
A fire at Baze Chemical Plant in October was one of those life-threatening situations . Flames rose to 75 feet in the air when crews arrived , while 1,000 gallons of noxious chemicals spread around the facility ’ s perimeter .
Due to the battalion ’ s prompt response , effective emergency management , and assistance from other units around the county , crews quickly contained the fire and declared it extinguished before 12 midnight .
Fortunately , county-wide emergencies like the Baze Chemical Plant fire do not occur frequently , yet firefighters take pride in responding to every call in the same professional manner because they know serving the public is their job .
In total , the city ’ s fire crews responded to roughly 1,200 calls in 2020 , an average of three to four calls a day . Only about 100 of those calls involved fire suppression .
Though most calls may not be fire emergencies , crews respond promptly because they don ’ t mind ensuring everyone is safe . An elderly person may call to request a replacement for a smoke alarm battery , or a passerby may see steam rising from a rooftop and mistakenly report it as a fire .
Firefighters respond to each call professionally and patiently resolve each request , mainly because they realize residents may not know who else to call .
Battalion Chief Tim Ingram of the department ’ s A Crew said being able to help people is the best part of his job .
“ Residents know they can call any time and we ’ re always here to help them with problems , big or small ,” Ingram said .
A 17-year veteran , Ingram is one of three battalion chiefs . Jeff Croft and Nathan Reed lead the B and C battalions .
Ingram supervises the A Crew , a team of 12 firefighters who serve a 24-hour period every three days . A Crew members arrive at 7 a . m . and stay until 7 a . m . the next day then take two days off before returning for their next shift 48 hours later while B and C Crews also serve 24-hour shifts .
Fire Station No . 1 at 2201 W . Spring St . houses most members of each crew , though some also staff Station No . 2 at 107 7th Street in Westwood and Station No . 3 at 501 Benbrook Drive behind Palestine High School .
Helping residents avoid emergencies requires developing a variety of skills to help people in difficult situations . Palestine Fire Chief Shannon Davis says his crews learn a range of skills because people often call the fire department when they don ’ t know who else to call .
“ They ’ re Jacks of all trades and masters of all of