Fire in a Small Town

"Any town that has a fire department, an engine to fight the demon flames with, and a band of sturdy volunteer fire laddies to manipulate the apparatus is on the high wave of prosperity."A newspaper editor wrote those words in 1913 to mark the birth of a fire department in Gaston, Oregon, the dead end of the Oregon Trail. History proved him wrong about the prosperity part, but prescient about the critical role that everyday volunteers played in civilizing the Wild West, and in keeping...
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"Any town that has a fire department, an engine to fight the demon flames with, and a band of sturdy volunteer fire laddies to manipulate the apparatus is on the high wave of prosperity."A newspaper editor wrote those words in 1913 to mark the birth of a fire department in Gaston, Oregon, the dead end of the Oregon Trail. History proved him wrong about the prosperity part, but prescient about the critical role that everyday volunteers played in civilizing the Wild West, and in keeping it civilized today.In fact, today rural areas are more dependent on volunteers than ever before, because in addition to dousing house fires, volunteers have become the primary emergency medical providers for a society increasingly dependent on such care. Yet in many ways, society is making the lives of volunteer firefighters and EMTs more difficult and less enjoyable than ever before.The Bilderbacks, authors of the internationally acclaimed "Creek With No Name: How the West was Won (and Lost) in Gaston, Oregon," again use their hometown as the focal point for the triumphs, tragedies and travails of some of the bravest and least-appreciated heroes of the American West."Creek With No Name" has been honored with First Runner Up, History Prize, 2012 New York Book Festival; Winner, Regional Literature, 2012 New England Book Festival ;Winner, Regional Literature, 2012 Southern California Book Festival; First Runner Up, Regional Literature, 2012-2013 Los Angeles Book Festival; Honorable Mention, Non-fiction, 2013 Great Northwest Book Festival; Honorable Mention, History, 2012 San Francisco Book Festival; Honorable Mention, General Non-fiction, 2012 Hollywood Book Festival; Honorable Mention, General Non-fiction, 2012 London Book Festival.Also by Ken Bilderback, "Wheels on the Bus: Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll and Life in 1974" has been honored with Honorable Mention, Autobiography, 2011 New York Book Festival and the 2012 Southern California Book Festival.