Today is National First Responders Day, and the Coostucky Chronicle would like to recognize the men and women responsible for keeping Coos County from being declared a federal disaster area on a permanent basis.
Firefighters, deputies, police officers, EMTs, paramedics, and 911 dispatchers. The unfortunate souls who answer the phone when somebody calls to report their neighbor is naked, drunk, and trying to fight a riding lawnmower.
These folks get dragged out of bed at 2 a.m. because somebody drove a pickup into a creek, set their own shed on fire trying to burn a spider, or attempted to settle a property dispute with a chainsaw and a half-empty bottle of Black Velvet.
They pull people out of wrecks, fight fires, save lives, and occasionally have to explain to a 47-year-old man why he can’t drive his lawnmower through the McDonald’s drive-thru, even if he’s technically staying off the highway.
And that’s just Tuesday.
They miss holidays, work ridiculous hours, and see things that would send the average person straight to therapy. Unfortunately, in Coos County, half the people responsible for those things are already on a first-name basis with dispatch.
We give law enforcement and government agencies plenty of shit around here, and we’ll probably continue doing so tomorrow. But the folks who actually show up when someone’s life is on the line deserve some appreciation.
So here’s to Coos County’s first responders. Thank you for the long hours, the sacrifices, and the patience required to deal with a county where “hold my beer” is apparently considered an emergency response plan.
And thank you for keeping Coos County off the national news as often as you do. God knows you’re fighting an uphill battle.
