eFairborn

This is a story I wrote for the Young Authors program when I was in the 5th grade. It has gone through some updating since but is still basically a story written by an 11 year old girl. I have been asked to post it here for everyone to read and I hope you all enjoy it!

My Grandfather: Fireman
By Michelle Jones

My grandfather first started working as a fireman in 1947 while he was in the Army and stationed in Hawaii. The Fire Station he worked at was located on the rim of an inactive volcano.

In 1950 my grandfather, Bob Jones, returned to Fairborn. He soon realized his dream of becoming a Fairborn Firefighter and Paramedic. Bob was the first fireman on the Fairborn Fire Department to deliver a baby in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. This was the first of many articles about him in the local paper. There are many interesting stories about my grandfather responding to fires, accidents and rescues.

On July 15, 1966, there was a big house fire and because my grandfather was so brave he ran into the house to see if there was anyone inside. While he was inside his breathing equipment stopped working. The Fire Chief, Bud Warner, started looking around to make sure nobody was in the house and my grandfather was the only one missing. "Where is Bob?” he asked but no one knew. So, the chief asked if someone would go in and find him. Another fireman, Jack Hart said, "I'll go find Bob,” and went back inside. When Jack went into the house he could not find my grandfather at first. Finally, Jack decided to check on the second floor. There, through the smoke, he saw a beam of light coming from the safety light that Bob had been carrying.

Jack stopped, afraid of what he might find but then he looked and behind a bed was Bob. He had tried to get to the bedroom window for fresh air when he passed out. At that time my grandfather weighed about 180 pounds and Jack was a small man but this did not stop him from grabbing Bob by the feet, pulling him down the stairs and outside. "My head was sore for several days,” was the only thing my grandfather remembered about being rescued. He was grateful that Jack Hart had risked his own life to save him. I did not like that particular story because if Jack had not saved him I would have never met my grandfather. That would have been sad because Bob Jones was a wonderful grandfather and a great man.

My grandfather and his fellow firefighters were on duty August 29, 1966 when a call came in about a fire at the Fairborn Furniture Store. A ten-year-old boy sneaked into the basement of the furniture store and lit a match so he could see where he was. When the flame burned his finger he flipped the match and went out to buy a Tootsie Roll. The result was an intense fire which wiped out the Fairborn Furniture Store. The firemen were on duty at that fire all day, all night and most of the next day.

On April 28, 1972, while out with a friend, a call came in on the fire radio in Bob’s car. Even though he was not on duty, he responded to the call. When Bob arrived at Rainbow Lakes he was the first fireman on the scene. People were shouting, "Over Here! Over Here!", and waving their arms. A man had been fishing and left his three-year-old daughter in the car. While playing she pulled the car out of gear and it rolled down to the edge of the lake and was teetering there. When the owner of the lake saw what was going on he jumped into his car and went to help. In a panic he forgot to put his car in park. His car then rolled down and hit the car with the little girl inside. Both cars went into the lake.

My grandfather arrived minutes later and after being told what happened, he jumped into the lake without diving gear, clothes and all. He tried several times to get to the car with the girl in it but, the water was so cold that he could not stay down for very long. When the other firemen arrived my grandpa and another fireman went back in the water to hook a chain to the lake owner's car and then to the car that the little girl was in. They were hoping that there had been enough air left in the car to keep the girl from drowning. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the child was dead. My grandfather said, "I felt so very bad that I couldn't save her." I know he did everything that he could, that is the kind of man he was. On June 13, 1972, Bob Jones was given a bronze plaque for service above and beyond the call of duty.

My grandfather was always good with the school children and he used to go to school to show slides of fires and talk about fire safety. Now you know why I am so very proud of my grandfather. Robert Jones retired from the Fairborn Fire Department in 1977.