Nathan Wood, 22, who works for the Williamsburg Fire Department, assists in cleaning mud off the sidewalk and asphalt on South Second Street. Nathan began as a volunteer firefighter at 15. "To me, firefighting is more than just fighting fires," he says. "You gotta care for your community."
Firefighters clean sidewalks. They assist dispatch on calls. They’ll even mow grass.
“You gotta care for your community or you’re not gonna get nowhere,” says Nathan Wood, 22. He began volunteering at 15 and is now a full-time firefighter.
The fire station, housed in a former carpet factory, has five full-time firefighters, three part-timers and a host of volunteers.
For many of them, Williamsburg has been home for decades. This small group remains as tight-knit as the community they serve.
From joking together over a meal of homemade spaghetti cooked by Safety Officer Tim Vanover to helping jump each other’s cars, they’re ready to lend a helping hand.
“We’d do anything for each other,” Nathan says.
“Getting to work with the same people over and over again, you get to know more about them, their situations, what they go through,” he adds. “That time we spend together is pretty special.”
That’s why they refer to each other as their second family. Common bonds unite them -- and they know how difficult it can be after responding to a fire or vehicle accident.
They won’t call it therapy, but it’s a refuge for a job that, combined with paramedics, sees approximately 20 percent of the workforce develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, according to an August 2016 study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
Captain Brian Woods says he can't talk about it with his family because "they can't stand it." Many of the worst accidents he has worked still replay vividly in his head. "It'll either make you or break you," he says.
Brian, who began volunteering in 2002, says being able to joke with each other helps keep emotions in check – at least for a little. “If I need to talk to somebody, I can come down here and just sit and talk," he says. "We got our own little way of coping with it."
Despite the hardships, none of this fire department family would ever trade it in. Nathan says seeing the appreciative faces when responding to calls brings joy to his life.
“I love the community and love what I do,” Nathan says.
Captain Brian Woods smokes a cigarette near the entrance of the department while working second shift from 3 to 11 p.m. Brian says the most important thing is that all of his coworkers return home to their families at the end of their shift.
Safety Officer Tommy Manning works on downloading an app to report storm damage as Nathan chuckles.
Tommy listens during a meeting about an app for reporting storm damage held by emergency management for Laurel and Whitley Counties.
Nathan sits on a bridge above I-75 as the fire department waits to be called for traffic control on the interstate.
Tommy finishes a conversation as he prepares to go home after working a shift.
Safety Officer Tim Vanover hands Chief Larry Todd a plate of homemade spaghetti that included peppers, onions and mushrooms that Tim grew. "I sliced up the onions real fine so they cook up good," Tim says.
Larry, 67, flips through a rolodex at the front desk of the department. Larry began as a volunteer in 1991 and has been chief since 2016. He enjoys fishing and watching sports in his spare time and hopes to retire by July.
Brian watches for traffic as Nathan sprays mud off the sidewalk and asphalt of South Second Street.
Brian sits at the front desk as the sunset is reflected in the window. Due to the small size of the department, many shifts only have one person on duty.