Marathon Fire Department

The Marathon Fire Department is my local hero. They help people in the community and all over. They go to 50-60 fire calls in a year. The Marathon Fire Department is one of the fastest departments to get ready and on the go in Marathon County. The Fire department started a long time ago. They love to help out the community. They know that their friends and family need their help so they go out and save the community. Russel Anklem said that it doesn't take a lot of people to put out a fire, just as long as they all work together. Many of the fires that the fire department go to are structure fires. They need as many of the firefighters that are able to go. Travis Schilling said, “We always need more volunteers.”

The Marathon Fire department has many volunteers that have a lot of experience with all different kinds of fires. Even though all the volunteers are very willing to help, they still need more and more help! They love the job that they have and love what they do. There are different positions of the fire department. There is a chief, an assistant chief, captain, and a lieutenant. The person that drives is called a captain. The captain has to know what all of the buttons and the gears are for.

The satisfaction of when they put out a fire are knowing they helped out the community. Travis Schilling said when the people that you saved come up to you and give you a big thank you, it's all worth it! The thing that motivates the firemen is knowing that they're friends and family and the community needs their help. Russel Anklem said that he knows family and friends in the community that motivates him to get them as safe as possible. “The things that inspire me to help the community is that I care about others and hope that they are always safe” Russel Anklem told me. Travis Schilling told me the thing that he takes pride in knowing that the community is safe.

The Fire Department will always need more volunteers. They could always use more help. They need at least ten or more people to put out a fire and help with other things that they need help with. The fire calls that they go to are chimney, house, grass, and building fires, and car accidents. All of the fire calls that they go to they take a lot of pride in. They want to help everyone be safe and knowing that they are safe they know they did a job well done. Many of the firefighters put their all into their job when they get the calls. All of the firefighters have to go through a special class that teaches them everything that they need to know before they face the flames. The firefighters go to car accidents to help them clean up and make sure that there is no gasoline or anything that is flammable that could start a fire. The types of buildings that they practice on would have to be the local hardware store. They have more buildings in the community that they practice on. To decide how many fire trucks go to a fire call, they have two for accidents and all of them go out for structure fires (buildings).

Every year they have a open house on Labor Day weekend. They are a great turn out. At open houses they usually have 100-125 parents and children show up. They let the kids tour the fire station, shoot the hoses and sit in the fire trucks. Russel Anklem wants to teach others that when you see smoke there is usually flame, so get out as soon as possible. The one thing that Travis Schilling and Russel Anklem would want to teach the young students is don't play with fire and also to listen to the older veteran firefighters.

The Marathon Fire Department has made a big difference in my life. They taught me that when you help someone you don't have to get a pay back or a gift - you are doing things because you care. They don't consider themselves as heroes, they just do it because they care about the community. The thing that they taught me was to think of ways that you can help the community. Always help out people even if you don't want to. Tim the assistant chief said, “Don't consider yourself a hero, a hero does something above and beyond the call of duty.”