AMARILLO, TEXAS -- All kinds of firefighters from Amarillo and volunteers from Potter and Randall counties have been working tirelessly to make sure those wildfires stay out. They are the men and women who risk their lives to save ours. Those efforts the last few days are being praised more than ever. Pronews 7 found out a little bit more about what makes them tick.
Many area firefighters spent over 14 hours battling Sunday's blazes. Volunteers at Potter County continued to put out hot spots on Tuesday. Some even had their own homes and families to worry about, but they continued to push through to protect our community.
"There's a fireman on this department that everybody loves who was out there Sunday night and he went to go check on his house. He had lost a barn and several trucks but his house was still fine so he came in and did what he could do for the other," Robert Lowry, Amarillo Fire Department Station No. 4.
It's that dedication and love for job and community that these firefighters say motivates them.
"A sense of dedication to the community. Our guys, especially with Potter County, we're a volunteer department. The guys are out here because they want to. Most of them live out in the area and they want to help take care of their neighbors," said Patrick Fitzpatrick, Potter Co. Assistant Fire Chief.
"It's always going to be in the back of your mind 'Is so and so's house ok?' But you just have to treat it like everybody else's house and protect what you can and keep doing your job," said Brad Hanson, Amarillo Fire Department Station No. 5.
While they say they love the thrill of putting out fires, it's the after-effects that are the hardest to take in.
"It's depressing when we were driving in the neighborhood and we're driving past houses that are burning. We like to fight fires, and there were houses we didn't even think about messing with. It's depressing because you see people losing their lives, losing their businesses, losing everything," said Lowry.
"You really notice them on the big scenes like this, and they're important, but it's the day to day running medical calls, getting up at 2:00 am and 4:00 am because someone's sick," said Fitzpatrick.
It's important to note, that while Potter and Randall Counties are volunteer-based, they do put in a lot of training and working hours for all of us.
