Carbon monoxide responses are easy to treat like routine calls. Most of the time, we are dispatched for an alarm activation, a beeping detector, or a vague report of someone “not feeling well.” There is no smoke showing, no visible hazard, and no obvious emergency from the street.

   What is the publics expectation when they call 911? Are their needs being fulfilled or exceeded? I often think back on when I joined the fire department over 25 years ago.

   Fairbury Rural Fire responded to a house fire on Jan. 1 with Jansen Fire providing mutual aid. Heavy smoke and strong winds reduced visibility, and snow and ice made it slick.

   Road and highway ditches provide thousands of acres of grass and brush to fuel wildland fires. The largest areas are on our interstate highway system.

   As I was thumbing through the January SDFA newspaper, I was very pleased with the number of departments and other local newspapers that are submitting articles.