Summer is coming and with it Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue (PVFR) swings into peak season. Residents should trim around homes and clean up yards before the heat sets in. There will not be a town cleanup day this year, but trimmings can be dropped across from the high school to be chipped by town personnel.
Look around the house and yard and imagine trying to find your way in the dark and smoke. Remove things that would trip you up or are flammable next to the home.
The annual Steak Fry is the last Saturday of June. We bribe the town’s people with a good meal at a fair price and hope that they will pitch in to help sustain our local volunteer service members by either bidding on items our local businesses have donated, or by writing a check. We will all miss Brent Bowden in his traditional role of auctioneer and chief grill cook.
Nearly a week later the department members lead the town’s 4th of July parade in an assortment of fleet vehicles. Like last year, there is a prohibition on water balloons during the parade. We hope someday we can entice the members of the Shriners to return to our parade with their fun go-cars. More antique car enthusiasts and floats may enter if they know they won’t be pelted by an overly aggressive audience. Maybe we could make a fundraiser out of a water fight gauntlet. I bet we could entice some of our young-at-heart wildland firefighters to participate in a battle with kids in the park; squirt guns vs spray packs.
The Fire Department is planning on having fireworks again this year, though, again, we’ll miss Brent Bowden’s experience and leadership. I hope those who come to see the fireworks will contribute to help cover the several thousand-dollar cost of putting on the 4th. I would also hope that everyone will drop by the morning after and participate in the yard sweep; picking up shell fragments that litter the school fields. More people participating makes short work of the cleanup. Perhaps the 4th of July committee can organize a light breakfast for everyone to socialize over after the cleanup.
We hope to recruit new members that are willing to serve the public and give back to the community. It’s not all fun, but it’s not all work either. Training is available throughout the year. Our fundraising pays tuition for this training, and we ask new members to commit to giving back to the community for a minimum of one year.
For more information, please talk to one of our members and/or our Fire Chief, Ike Isakson. PVFR meets at the firehouse on the first Sunday of each month at 9a.m.