Firefighters brave the heat to feed the crowd
Karen Peterson photo
Longtime firefighter Ray Frey braves the smokey heat of the grill as he prepares barbecued food for more than 700 people at Saturday’s Fireman’s Picnic in St. Ignatius.
Karen Peterson photo
An inflatable slide and jump house provided entertainment for the young crowd.
Karen Peterson photo
Steve McCollum was awarded a golden axe for his years of service with the St. Ignatius Volunteer Fire Department
Karen Peterson photo
Karen Peterson photo
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ST. IGNATIUS — People lined up as the dinner bell rang for the 19th annual Fireman’s Picnic. Food was consumed, children played games, and items were auctioned to help generate funding to keep the fire department functioning.
Firefighter Ray Frey felt the heat as he stood over a hot grill with a pitchfork. He compared the heat from a house fire to the heat from the grill as smoke rolled over his face.
“The grill is more intense,” he said wiping sweat from his forehead with a half-smile.
Experienced firefighters knew how to handle the crowd.
“When you’ve been doing this for as long as we have there are not a lot of surprises,” said Tim Callahan, volunteer firefighter for 26 years and the chairman of the fire board.
The department is in need of a new generation of firefighters to keep the picnic running smoothly, according to Callahan.
“What we need now are younger volunteers — not just for fighting fires, but to learn how all of this is run,” Callahan said. “It takes a lot of planning to put this together, and we’d like to pass on what we know.”
Joe Mitchell, 25, is one of the few newer volunteers.
“I was six when we had the first picnic,” he said.
The picnic gives people a place to gather and donate money, instead of time, to the department. Mitchell noted that in a smaller area, volunteering of any kind is helpful.
“The problem is people don’t have a lot of time,” he said. “Many people have to travel outside the area for work, and we don’t have a lot of people in this town.”
Max Koenig, 12, isn’t old enough to volunteer as a firefighter but he did help alongside his mom Suzie Green, who is a volunteer firefighter.
“I like helping out,” Max said. “It makes me feel proud. I helped put up the tables, chairs, tents and the inflatables. We cleaned the ground with a fire hose before we set everything up. And we filled up the fire trucks with water. I got to bounce first on the inflatables after we set up.”
At the picnic, Steve McCollum and Fred Gariepy were each honored with a golden axe for their years of service as firefighters.
“Steve got me to join 34 years ago,” Gariepy said.
McCollum and Gariepy are officially retiring but still volunteering.
“I’m still helping, just not as much,” Gariepy said.
Auctioneer Steve Allard was back in front of the hundreds of picnickers again this year auctioneering at mile-a-minute to make sure he got through the many items donated to the department like hay bales, bird houses, firewood, jewelry and honey. Allard says there is a benefit to auctioneering in his hometown.
“I know most everybody,” he said. “It’s good to see everyone.”
