My Story

I joined the DuBois Fire Department in 1975 because I wanted to give back to the community that supported my local business. The friendships and brotherhood that I’ve experienced are things that I’ll value all of my life. I’ve been a member for almost 40 years now and I can tell you that the tradition of this Department makes it something special. It gives me great pride to belong to an organization that is so highly respected in the community. The dedication of everyone from the Chiefs to the Line Officers to the Training Officer makes the DuBois Fire Department exceptional — as proven by our ISO #1 rating.

And Now?

I still serve as a member of the DuBois Fire Department and I will continue to do so as long as I’m able. I am very proud to serve my Department and my community.

Volunteers Needed

In addition to serving the community, developing lifelong friendships and being part of a proud tradition, a recent FireHouse Magazine opinion poll showed that firefighters are most trusted when compared to other public servants. My question is, why wouldn’t you join?

Art Whitmore

_{J.E. DuBois Fire Department Hose Company #3}

My Story

When I was growing up, I remember my father, who was a member of the DuBois Fire Department, getting up in the night and responding to fire alarms. I remember hearing the sounds of the fire whistles and the excitement that I felt knowing that my Dad was going to help someone. Service is a proud family tradition at all DuBois Fire Department Hose Companies.My father would also take me to the Hose House to see the fire trucks and so, from early on, I knew that I wanted to be a fireman. Another thing that influenced me was the TV show Emergency that aired at that time; it reinforced my desire to join the Fire Department, too. It all looked pretty fun to me but I also wanted to help the community and serve the way my father did. Because of these things, I knew that as soon as I was old enough, I would join the Fire Department.

As planned, I joined the DuBois Fire Department when I was 18 years old. I enjoyed being a volunteer so much that I wanted to be a professional firefighter. To accomplish that, I joined the US Air Force, where I served as an Air Force firefighter for four years. After I left the active duty Air Force, I became an Air Force civilian firefighter and remained in that career for 25 years.

And Now?

I retired from my civilian firefighting career in 2008. I moved back to DuBois and was blessed to move back into my boyhood home. I had maintained my membership in the DuBois Fire Department the entire time I was away so when I returned, I continued being a volunteer with my Hose Company. I may be retired now, but I want to stay active within the Fire Department, working on trucks, helping out with training, hearing the fire alarms and sharing the brotherhood of the Department. I continue to be a volunteer because we are needed now more than ever.

Volunteers Needed

Not everyone wants to be a volunteer. It’s an everyday struggle to find good volunteers and to retain good people. I continue to volunteer because we’re all that stands between disaster and someone losing his home…or worse. I also volunteer because I want to be someone who really helps in an emergency. When a person needs help and calls us, they hear the fire whistles and the fire trucks responding and they know that we volunteers are on our way to help.

Gary A. McIntosh

_{J.E. DuBois Fire Department Hose Company #3}