Lyle Airey honored for 50 years of service to the Albion Fire Department | News, Sports, Jobs

Lyle Airey is a humble person who did the right thing as a volunteer to help his community. Lyle found a position with the Albion Volunteer Fire Department in 1974 and remained there. He specifically helped by lending his time and energy to assist with fires, emergency medical calls, vehicle accidents and other related tasks.

Current Albion Fire Chief Aaron Betts presented Airey with his first plaque engraved by the Albion Fire Department. The second award, a Meritorious Service Award, was presented by Marshalltown Fire Chief Christopher Cross. This award also recognized 50 years of commitment as a volunteer firefighter.

Volunteer fire departments across the United States are a vital part of a vast network of people ready at any hour of the day or night, in any weather, good or bad, to help their fellow human beings when help is needed. is necessary. Firefighters and first responders can usually be the first on the scene when troubling situations arise.

This is an often underrated service, but certainly nice to have in the event of a disaster or accident. Volunteer firefighters help save lives and property.

PHOTO VIA TR ARCHIVES Airey, pictured in his younger years, was photographed in response to the “Trade Home Fire” in Marshalltown in the late 1970s, which became a famous image around the Albion Fire Department office.

Doug Betts, former Albion Fire Chief, noted how times have changed over the decades. A long time ago, volunteer firefighters had equipment that was rudimentary and unreliable by today's standards.

It was not uncommon for a veritable brigade of passing water buckets to be used during a fire. Soon after, motorized objects like trucks began to be used to hold a large tank of water.

These vehicles had to be kept inside a heated building so that the water would not freeze during the cold winters. Upgrading equipment was and still is a constant need. It goes without saying that rural fire departments have come a long way.

Volunteers in the past, while sometimes working on the farm, on a municipal construction site or at local businesses, would drop everything if they heard the town's civil defense sirens blaring. Once they arrived at the station, the telephone operator was able to tell the crew where the situation was. The crew was going to help as best they could.

Equipment to notify volunteers has evolved from fire telephones in area residents' homes to pagers and now to digital contact systems for volunteers using cell phones. The goal was to speed up response times because emergencies dictate the amount of time needed to reduce injuries or treat situations before the situation becomes more dangerous.

In every situation that any rural fire department volunteer may encounter, the lifeline is a human being, many of them, who step up and say, “How can I help?” Every rural or small town fire department struggles to recruit, retain and train people to be part of an effective team.

It is difficult in our modern age to have people volunteer their time and commit to service. Some employers are reluctant to have their workers leave work to respond to a fire call in their city. Employers may not have the flexibility, even if they would like, to grant employees time off when the company needs a full complement, which can be a deal breaker for the company. Threading that needle isn’t always easy.

So when dedicated volunteers arrive and have the time, talent and desire to contribute meaningfully to a rural fire service, that is the time to welcome, train and retain them. The need is critical.

Cooperation with other rural fire service volunteers helps fill gaps during many emergency calls. Cooperative agreements between other departments are called mutual aid agreements, that is, we will help you this time and next time, when the roles are reversed, you will call us and we will help you. It is in this spirit of cooperation that rural fire departments continue to make life in Iowa good.

As for Lyle Airey and his 50 years of service, a sincere thank you is offered. You did well.