Palestine Chamber Magazine 2021 | Page 35

PALESTINECHAMBER . ORG 35 them ,” Davis said . “ They ’ ve got to be well-versed in all of them .”
Davis , a 19-year veteran , became fire department chief in 2016 and now supervises a full-time staff of 40 . Thirty-six are first responders , who Davis refers to as “ the boots on the ground .”
The other three who manage the department at the administrative office at 2201 W . Spring St . include Fire Marshal Kelly Hughes , Assistant Fire Marshal Edward Clayton , and Interim Emergency Management Coordinator Melinda Chambers .
Davis says the best thing about his job is working with a professional , well-trained team . Even so , Palestine firefighters are also prepared to expect the unexpected .
In 20 years of service , Davis says the flood of April 2016 was the department ’ s most difficult moment . Though well-trained in fighting fires , the crew was not prepared to rescue residents from the flash flood that swept through the Timber Drive residential area , killing one adult and four children .
Davis said he still regrets that crews were not prepared to rescue flood victims as backed-up culverts caused hazardous rising waters . Crews performed bravely through the darkness , rescuing many .
Davis said his team learned an important lesson that night , and he ’ s determined to avoid the same situation from happening again — with training , preparation , and more training .
Jake the Firedog

The fire department ’ s newest addition is Jake , a Blue Heeler who showed up at Station No . 1 about a year ago . Although the fire department had no tradition of keeping a canine crew member , Jake stayed on after the crew voted to keep him and gained approval from city hall .

Jake now lives at the station and keeps the crew company , where he ’ s learned to perform simple tricks . Most importantly though , he ’ s become a valuable member of the fire prevention team . His signature trick is the stop , drop , and roll sequence , which he performs at school assemblies on fire prevention .