Firemen don't do it for the money

Saturday morning firefighters from five departments were on Forrest Hill Drive, during a controlled burn, for a training exercise of an old house that likely included more than $1 million in equipment such as trucks and the gear the firemen used to enter the burning home.

Flomaton Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Stanton said the training included firemen from Flomaton, Friendship, Lambeth, Century and Barnett Crossroads. MedStar was also on hand with its ambulance should it be needed.

"These controlled burns give fireman a real-life experience of fighting a fire," Stanton said. "They learn how to enter a burning home and deal with the heat and the fire."

"We have classes, but this is the best training we do," Stanton added. "It prepares them to enter a burning home when it's real."

In addition to the training, Stanton said he feels most people have no idea how much money is involved to equip a paid or volunteer fire department.

The fireman suit, which includes a tank and air pack costs about $20,000 per person. Add in the cost of hoses, nozzles and other equipment and the cost goes up. That doesn't include fire trucks that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Flomaton's main fire truck was purchased 17 years ago for $156,000. Stanton said the cost would easily double or triple today.

Stanton said when he first became a volunteer fireman 42 years ago, an air pack and accessories cost about $800. Today that setup costs about $12,000 for each fireman. He also said the air packs and tanks have a lifespan of 15 years maximum.

Stanton also said Flomaton and most of the volunteer fire departments don't have and can't afford state-of the art equipment.

Of the 24 fire departments in Escambia County, Ala., 19 are 100 percent volunteer. Flomaton does have one full time paid fireman and gets revenue from the city.

Volunteer fire departments are funded through a tobacco tax and a forestry tax, but most is raised by the departments through donations and applying for grants.

Jeremy Lee is Flomaton's lone paid fireman and the department has about 26 volunteers. He said many are students and will leave and said other departments are desperate for volunteers to fill the spots as older volunteers retire.

Lee, 39, is a 1998 graduate of Flomaton High School and said he started out at the Lambeth Volunteer Fire Department before coming to Flomaton.

"What really inspired me was to help people and do what's right to help people," Lee said. "I love our town, we have a great community."

"Once I got into it, it got into my blood," Lee said. "I'm proud to be here, this is my home."

Jay Jackson, 19, a 2019 graduate of Flomaton High School, joined as a junior fireman and has been an active volunteer for two years.

On Feb. 25 Jackson will begin his first shift as a member of the Brewton Police Department, but said he will continue to be a volunteer fireman for Flomaton.

"Ever since I was little, I liked the way fire trucks looked," Jackson said. "I felt this is what my heart desired; helping someone in their time of need."

Jackson said he's ridden in fire trucks since he was 6 years old and got to put on fire gear when he was 12. When he was 14 he went on his first call and said he knew then that was what he wanted to do with his life.

"Being in the fire department introduced me to the law enforcement side," Jackson said. "Kind of like, 'get the bad guys off the streets'."

Jackson said he had a police uniform when he was 6 years old and dressed as a policeman for Halloween.

"I tried to sleep in it sometimes, but my mama made me take it off," he said of the uniform.

"There's a real feeling of accomplishment when you help somebody else," he said. "You don't take this path for the money, you've got to have a desire."

He said money will come as long someone is doing what they want to do.

"If you have a job you really love, you really never work," he said.