Copyright 2006 Times Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
By ERNEST HOOPER
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
When Bob Van Etten was hired by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue in 1974, he was one of only 12 firefighters on the staff. Twelve!
“We would have two on duty at each firehouse,” recalled Van Etten, who started at the firehouse on Ridgewood and State Road 60 in Brandon.
“If we got a call, one person would stay at the firehouse and the other would take the call and then pray for the volunteer firefighters to show up.”
The volunteers always showed up.
The system has changed since those days, but the sense of community the volunteer fire departments provided still motivates Van Etten.
Etten, named chief of the new Seffner-Mango volunteer fire station, perseveres even though he could be out fishing or hunting. No one would have blamed Van Etten, 67, if he had left the challenge of reviving the volunteer effort to someone else.
In September, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief William Nesmith shocked volunteers by closing the longtime Seffner-Mango department because of mold problems in the building and ethical problems with the leadership.
The decision ended a dispute between Nesmith and longtime chief Bradley Price. For a number of reasons, Nesmith had asked Price to step down as the head of the department, but Price defied the order. So Nesmith shut the station down, relocated the department to the North Brandon Little League Field, and appointed Van Etten as the new chief.
Van Etten’s drive comes from the realization the department is bigger than any one person, even him.
“I love the fire department, and I love the community,” Van Etten said. “I want to serve the community and serve mankind. I’m enjoying my retirement and doing what I want to do.”
With the help of other volunteers, Van Etten has sustained the volunteer effort and settled the concerns of residents who had long depended on the station. After the relocation, the new Seffner-Mango Volunteer Fire Rescue has 12 volunteers, but still managed to answer more than 100 calls in October, its first month.
Now the number of volunteers is up to 22. On Monday, a group of residents who want to make up a new board of directors convened at the volunteers’ makeshift station: a small home between the Brandon YMCA and Seffner Elementary School.
There was a homemaker, a home builder, a teacher and a railway worker among those in attendance. The common thread among them was a care for the community and an appreciation for what the volunteer firefighters provided for their neighbors.
“I think the fire department has been a community center almost,” said Mike Storey, division president for Morrison Homes. “It’s been a core of the community, not only for fire protection but as a gathering place.
“Seffner-Mango has a small-town feel, and volunteer departments are essential to small towns,” he added.
In the next few weeks, the board will be solidified and officers will be elected. Van Etten has purposely set the bylaws so he will answer to the board, and there will be a balance of power. The energy in the room was a strong indicator that the new volunteer fire department will regain the prominence the former department had in the community.
“I’m very encouraged by the level of commitment from the people here,” said Judy Tewksbury, one of the aspiring board members.
We all should be encouraged. Despite all the growth in our area, it appears a part of our small-town roots is going to flourish again.
That’s all I’m saying.