"Tell me," said the grieving mother, "Do you still smell the smoke?"
"Not any more", I answered her, "but I did for a year or so."
This conversation occured a few months after the wildfire of 2011 that burned not far from our town of Hot Springs. Our community was still smarting from memories of the Alabaugh Fire of 7-7-7, when three young Hot Spring's men, all best friends, who worked for South Dakota Wildland Suppression, were notified of a wildfire in the area where they were patrolling. They answered the call and arrived to find an Edgemont Volunteer fire truck at the scene. Another fire truck from the Forest Service arrived later. The fire was located in a valley with one narrow dirt road as access. A spot fire erupted and the three young men volunteered to go in and put it out. Not long after they entered the valley the wind came up suddenly and they were surrounded by flames. Their truck got stuck and then died. Their "May-day" calls went unanswered.
A call finally came through from a Forest Service firefighter that there was a narrow window of opportunity for escape, and they should run NOW! The mother of the youngest of the three firefighters told me that her son, with no hesitation, somehow managed to run through the wall of flames and escape with only a burned hand, to have his "second chance" in life. How many men, barely out of boyhood, go through such a traumatic life and death experience? Her son turned in his gear and said he will never fight fire again. His best friend died in the inferno and the other one was severely burned. How was it that he came through this incident almost unscathed, only to face the gut wrenching guilt, sorrow and bewilderment that may haunt him for a lifetime? Or, in time, hopefully, it may help him develop into a man of greater compassion, with an awareness of the brevity of life, appreciation for that life and the lives of those around him.
His father was one of the volunteer firefighters who rescued my husband and me from the out-of-control Alabaugh Fire. His life has always been one of dedication to others as told in his chapter of "Cascade of Flames", titled, "Reluctant Heroes." His son, however, looked on firefighting as a summer job between his semesters at college. That summer job turned out to be a life changing event for him and, even though he turned in his gear, that incident of the summer of 2011 will surely make its mark on his maturity and perhaps influence what he does with the rest of his life.
His mother, who told me the story, is still feeling grief and sorrow over her son's friend. Her fear, which was so overwhelming on the long drive to the hospital the day of the fire, turned into relief when she saw that her son was alive with no permanent physical scars. She went to work at the VA the day after the fire. Some were surprised that she did, but others understood. After work she went to her church down the street from work. She sat in the empty chapel and sobbed and sobbed. Her tears were mixed with gratitude, sorrow, anger and confusion. She finds comfort in her faith, and some relief in retelling the story. She wonders how many times she will need to tell the story to feel better. I suggested that she keeps talking about it as long as she feels the need. I know for me that my tears and talking helped me through my trials in life, including our losses in the Alabaugh Fire. Even though there may be scars, healing does happen, as I said before, in its own time.
The father is a great support to his son. He has spent many years as a volunteer firefighter and first responder, dealing with accidents, fire, injury and death. His experiences, understanding and compassion are there, to encompass and comfort his son as he works through his shock.
The son told his mother that he still smells the smoke and she wonders, as a mother would, how long it will last. The son told his mother that he feels that God has given him a second chance in life. The mother knows first hand, with a wrenching jolt after this trauma, that they all have another chance. What a remarkable gift!
No comments:
Post a Comment