Firefighters deliver on service in many ways

The recent fires in Norristown have dominated the news. First there was the tragic fire in 2016 on DeKalb Street that resulted in four deaths and five injuries. Last week there was the three-alarm fire at the Montgomery Mills apartment complex that displaced 24 residents.

Norristown Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell has been severely affected by the disasters during the last two years. Personally, the reality of the tragedies was far different from childhood memories.

“Who wants to go for a ride on a fire truck?”

As a child, that was one of the biggest thrills imaginable.

Shiny, red, enormous. Men dressed in uniforms.

Uncle John was Fire Chief in Clifton Heights, Delaware County.

Like most Italian families, we had aunts and uncles who weren’t really our relatives. It didn’t matter. It was just another lovable part of growing up during a simpler time in America. And I got to see the fire trucks up close.

For the most part, that was my entire vision of firefighting until my college years.

That all changed during a late night ride home from Villanova. My birthday was the next day and the family would be getting together for dinner.

Along with a couple of friends, we made the drive north on Route 320, over the hill and descended into Conshohocken. Before we could cross the Fayette Street Bridge, we were stopped by a scene of unimaginable proportions.

All of West Conshohocken seemed to be on fire. Flames reached hundreds of feet in the sky.

We parked the car but couldn’t get much closer to the scene as police cordoned off the area. Still blocks from the epicenter of the blaze, we could feel the intense heat cutting through the brutally cold January night. It was 1971 and a gas explosion had devastated the tiny community.

In all, 15 houses would be destroyed by the fire, a total of 24 houses damaged. And four people – including a 19-year-old firefighter – were killed.

Not many months later, with the images of the West Conshohocken fire still fresh in my mind, another reminder of the dangers of firefighting became all too clear.

It was a warm summer evening. After re-connecting with a high school friend – a cute former cheerleader, who obviously

suffered from bad eyesight and poor taste in men – I was excited about a date. The Main Point in Bryn Mawr was the destination.

I had been to the iconic coffee house/small music venue a number of times. In a preview of future greatness, I had seen Billy Joel and James Taylor performing before audiences of less than 100 people.

It was doubtful any future stars of that ilk were on the venue this evening. But it was still a trendy

spot for a summer date.

Arriving at the front door to pick up my date, I was greeted by her understandably shocked father. He tried to disguise the horror as he viewed a young man with curly long hair … dressed in a postWoodstock outfit of tie dye shirt, overalls and sandals. In retrospect, it was surprising that he let his daughter out of the door.

Once again, we drove down the familiar road – Route 320 – south toward Bryn Mawr. When we reached Montgomery Avenue, there was furious police action. The road was being blocked. A short distance

east on Montgomery Avenue, one of the stately Main Line mansions was engulfed in flames. Again, the heat could be felt from hundreds of yards away.

And it was multiplied in the steamy atmosphere of the summer evening.

The trip to the Main Point was cancelled. For one reason, traffic in the area was snarled. In addition, the scene on this summer night was captivating.

Suddenly, the rubbernecking become more intense.

A young firefighter – he looked to be even younger than me – came staggering

through the crowd. He was covered with soot and being helped by other firefighters. He collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.

I never knew the fate of that firefighter … but the image stayed with me for years.

And the images of the deadly explosion in West Conshohocken, plus the fire at that Main Line mansion, came flooding back with the news of the last week.

In stark contrast to the two latest tragic fires in Norristown, there was one more story involving firefighters.

This one came from the Variety Club Camp in Worcester Township. It involved firefighters who answered a different call. This time they served dinner to youngsters at the camp who are diagngosed with Muscular Dystrophy. It was just another way of giving back to the community.

America’s most publicized instance of heroism by firefighters came on the tragic morning, now known as 9-11. Of the 3,000 people who perished during that terrorist attack, 343 were firefighters.

They answer many different calls – from a cat

stuck in a tree, to kids suffering from a crippling disease, to incredibly lifethreatening situations. They are owed a huge debt of gratitude. Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly GolfTalk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of GolfStyles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.