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Echoes of Those Gone By: Celebrating the Brotherhood of the Fire Department

Wednesday January 30, 2013

By Cookie Steponaitis

    Sitting amongst the seventeen departments and firefighters of Addison County the onlooker is treated to a camaraderie and level of respect that is often absent in the ebb and flow of hectic daily life. Gathered together to celebrate the year and commitment of each person to the service of others before themselves, the assembled firefighters spanned generations, decades and levels of service, yet all responded as one when asked about why they are there. They believe in service and live their lives by that defining guideline. The result is some of the best trained and hardest working departments in this state or any state.  Resplendent in dress uniform, each individual represented not only themselves but their departments with pride and low keyed humor, shared stories of fires, trainings or personal anecdotes about an individual. While never seeking the limelight each honoree stood proudly to receive their award but almost grimaced when this reporter approached with a camera and asked for a quote. As one fireman remarked, “We are firefighters. It is a calling. It is who we are. It is just that simple.”

   Glancing around the room there was also a sense of the presence of those gone by and the changes, evolution in thinking and intense personal commitment of those firefighters who served decades ago. Several men were key to the evolution of the science of firefighting and the professional level of training the Addison County departments maintain to this day.  One voice there in spirit was Ray Davison who became a probational firefighter in Vergennes on November 1, 1957 and was on the job during the famous Vergennes Fire of 1958 that identified the severity of the lack of modern equipment for the department. Ray not only joined the department as a permanent member but went on to serve as the Deputy Chief for forty-five years.  During Ray’s tenure he was at the heart of leading Vermont firefighters to new levels of professional training and development.  Bob Jenkins of the Ferrisburgh Volunteer Fire Department remarked of Ray in 2004, “He gave all and never expected anything in return.”  Demonstrating the impact of brotherhood in the fire service, Ray Davison’s funeral on December 30, 2004 was attended by 900 firefighters who filled the gym to pay respects and honor the work of Davison and the impact he had on their careers.

    Jolted back to the present this reporter continued to listen to the roll call of men and women who have been awarded for time, commitment, bravery and determination to live a life that both inspires and serves. The generations of men and women joined in the brotherhood called firefighting standing there continue the legacy of those that came before. Echoes of the past reverberate through to the present, living on in the passion, commitment and pride of the next generation of Addison County Fire Fighters.
         

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