Thankful for volunteer, paid every day heroes

Over 40,000 acres. At this writing, that is the amount of pasture and cropland that has burned in Gosper and Furnas counties, as well as just south of the border in northern Kansas. At least eight families have lost their homes. Dozens of other structures were also destroyed. Firefighting equipment was lost as well. In addition to this are all of the livestock, the center pivots and other irrigation equipment, the hay bales, and the miles of fence line. All destroyed by a merciless and deadly force.

On the front lines of the battle with this force are the 40 fire departments from across the state that are fighting the Road 739 Fire near Elwood, and the 15 departments, including four departments from District 38, who helped fight the Burr Oak, Kan., fire. Most of these departments are staffed solely by volunteers. These men and women do their work in these departments in addition to the full-time jobs they already have.

Most of the time, these firefighters, EMTs and paramedics go home to their loved ones at the end of the day. Sadly though, there have been casualties in the Road 739 Fire. Chief Darren Krull of the Elwood Volunteer Fire Department was killed in a head-on collision with a water truck on April 8th. Seriously injured was Phelps County Emergency Manager Justin Norris. Roadway conditions at the time of the crash were at zero visibility because of the fire. Thankfully, the driver of the water truck was not injured. Words of comfort never seem to be enough in these instances, but my staff and I are praying for these families.

This gives us the opportunity to remember and thank all of the unsung heroes in our daily lives. They often risk their lives for us, whether it be a car accident, farm accident, medical crisis or another emergency. The tragic loss of Chief Krull exemplifies the selfless service that makes our state great.

Not all of us can be a firefighter or emergency medical volunteers, but we all owe a debt of gratitude to many others. The volunteers who clean the snow off the church sidewalk and make sure the grass is mowed. The linemen who are out in all kinds of weather to assure that we can turn the lights on. The ladies who bake cookies for the local blood drive. All those who organize, pick up, clean, stock, beautify and improve our lives; a good portion of them behind the scenes and under the radar.

Please take the opportunity today to thank the daily heroes you come in contact with, both paid and volunteer. Tip a little more to your server or paper carrier today. Put your cart in the cart corral. Go out of your way to thank a worker who has been on the front lines during the pandemic. ATTEND and SUPPORT the pancake feeds, pork barbecues and other fundraisers hosted by your local volunteer fire departments and first responders.

I welcome any comments, questions, or ideas you may have on this or any other issue. Please feel free to email me at dmurman@leg.ne.gov or call my office at 402-471-2732.