Beauregard VFD Presented with First Responder Hero Award
Heroes are not always dressed in capes. Sometimes, they’re dressed in fire suits and air tanks.
Bearuegard Volunteer firemen and other first responders were honored with a luncheon at Providence Baptist Church in Lee County on Sunday.
“They’re volunteers,” pastor Rusty Sowell says. “I mean they don’t get paid a dime. But they have a heart for people and they want to be there and they want to help.”
Fire Chief Mike Holden says at times, he felt overwhelmed looking at the damage that was left behind. The support from the community was even more overwhelming, he says.
“This has been an overwhelming response from our community, from our county,” Holden says. “The response from the other agencies who came in and helped us was just astronomical.”
The Beauregard Volunteer Fire Department was honored with the First Responder Hero Award that is presented on behalf of Alabama News Network and Wettermark Keith Attorneys. The award was given to the VFD for their service during and after the Lee County tornado that killed 23 people and left dozens of homes and businesses destroyed.
Volunteers say they were humbled at the recognition.
“It really makes you feel good,” Holden says. “Unfortunately, most people don’t think about the fire department until they need us. So it’s good to be recognized and for them to know that we were there to help them in their time of need.”
“We appreciate the recognition and thank you’s,” Volunteer firefighter Craig Branan says.
Branan says there is a long way to go before the community can fully heal from the devastation..
“We still have a whole abreadst of the community to respond to and take care of as well, on top of that,” Branan says.
Sowell agreed.
“We got a long way to go in our community,” Sowell says. “Its’ not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We’ve met the emergent needs and the immediate needs and now we’re looking at the short-term, mid-term and long-term.”
If you would like to nominate a First Responder that you believe deserves the reward, visit our website at AlabamaNews.net for more information.
