User:Jimginat

Jim Totonis WHY VOLUNTEER--- Deep down we all want to do right by our fellow “man”. Some of us donate money, some of us donate clothes, and others donate time. I have been donating my time for three years now with the Walden Fire Dept. in Walden, NY. I think donating your time is the toughest thing you can do and the MOST rewarding. It’s tough on you and it’s tough on your family (wife and 3 kids)! It’s not easy when you have worked all day and as soon as you get home and you want to play with your kids you get called out on a job, but you do it. It is easy to open your wallet and donate money but it’s another thing to rush into a burning building to help your fellow “man”. You can get the alert any time of the day or night and an emergency does not care if you are sleeping or having dinner. You are taken away from your loved ones and you put yourself in harm’s way on EVERY run. You just hope and pray that your family understands and supports you. You just don’t know what that automatic alarm can lead to, or the drunk driver that could plow into your rig on the way to the automatic alarm. All volunteer firefighters are willing, without hesitation, without pay, go into some of the most life threatening situations known to “man”. So you might ask yourself with all this danger and risk why do it? Unfortunately there is no simple answer!! The only answer that I do have is that I am a Volunteer Firefighter and I am here to help. By Jim Totonis