I’m lucky and thankful, very lucky and very thankful. Let me explain.
About 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, my son looked out of a window and announced that there was smoke coming out of the building. We rushed out to look, and by 6:29 there were flames. I took a picture while 911 was called, and by 6:40, the first Greenfield fireman arrived.
I’m lucky because it happened during the day, was seen as it started (it was caused by an electric fault) and it was a Tuesday. Tuesday evening is the weekly training time for the Greenfield Fire Department and for many of the surrounding towns. As a result, the initial response time was short, and the overall response was massive: eight town fire departments, 20 fire trucks, including two ladder trucks; a fire auxiliary with bottled water and snacks; and I don’t know how many fire personnel. The damage was minimal.
I’m thankful because of the fire personnel — they are all volunteers — and thankful because town residents vote for their money to be spent on the fire trucks and other equipment.
David Bridgewater
Greenfield