Forged By Fire
Disaster shapes us:
We are stronger.
Your voices are proof

Unforgettable

My 13-year-old daughter, Megan, and I first volunteered to help at the fairgrounds on June 13.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect or what exactly we would be doing. As it turned out, we accepted donations, greeted firemen as they came in to eat dinner and helped them find Chapstick, shoelaces, lotion, postcards and countless other items. We worked that night and then half a dozen more. During those evenings, Megan and I saw some things that we’re not likely to forget:
The older couple who wanted to donate oatmeal, so that the firemen could have a hot breakfast.
The fireman who wanted to send his newborn daughter her first-ever postcard.

The two men from a local gas station who donated 1,200 coffee mugs because firemen had been asking for them.

The woman from Dalton Ranch that drove door to door in her neighborhood on her golf cart collecting towels for the firemen.

The woman who drove up from Bloomfield with her Suburban packed with donations for the firemen.

The fireman who thanked me profusely for the pillow that he’d received the day before. He’d been sleeping without a pillow for the past two weeks and he was so grateful to finally have one.
The newlywed couple passing through Durango on their honeymoon who decided to stay and volunteer at the high school.

Most of all, I think my daughter and I will always remember how incredibly grateful the firemen were for the support they received in Durango.

The firemen who tried to pay us for the cookies, water and shampoo. They couldn’t believe that could have them for free.

The Spanish-speaking firemen who were asking for shaving cream using hand signals!

The inmates from Idaho who were very happy to be fighting our fire rather than sitting in prison.

The fireman from New Hampshire who wanted an empty Ziploc bag so that he could take home some lupine and columbine seeds that he’d found in Durango.

Most of all, I think my daughter and I will always remember how incredibly grateful the firemen were for the support they received in Durango.

Every single fireman we spoke to thanked us for what the town was doing for them. They said they had never been treated this well anywhere else. In turn, we thanked them for saving homes and our forest. They all said that they were happy to do it and they loved their jobs.

– Renee Sebestyen