Emergency Response

When I was driving around Smiley on Wednesday, I passed this relatively new building for the Smiley Volunteer Fire Department. It was just across the road from the Baptist Church, next to the old railroad tracks. It reminded me of the volunteer fire department back in the old days.

In those days there was a pumper truck housed behind an old grocery store on main street. There was a fire whistle that would sound the alarm. I'm not sure who the volunteers were. I can remember a couple of big fires while we lived there, one of them at the feed store across from where this new fire station sits and just down from where we lived.

Anyway, the little fire company had some problems. I can remember one time they were called out and for some reason could not get the truck started. The fire crews from Nixon arrived before the Smiley crew to fight a fire that was just around the corner. Another time, the Smiley crew was first on the scene and discovered that the pumper's tank was dry.

It's nice to see that things have changed for the better.

LSW