A desire to help
Martin has served Russell VFD for 73 years
Bill Martin has been a member of Russell Volunteer Fire Department for 72 years. He’ll celebrate his 73rd year of service this April.
Martin was born in Warren and lived on Egypt Hollow until he was drafted in 1942. When he returned to Russell, he said, he wanted to be part of his community.
Even during his time in the Army, Martin liked the way helping people made him feel. He started out as a trustee and handyman at the VFD in his hometown, but eventually the other men there convinced him to join.
“We had a lot of chimney fires then,” said Martin of the early days, before volunteer firefighters took copious classes to do what they do.
Martin estimates that he responded to at least a hundred fires, and was also part of the ambulance team when that came around.
“I started out as just a plain guy,” Martin laughed, recalling his early days of volunteering. From being just a “plain” guy, Martin eventually became the Russell VFD’s secretary, and stayed secretary for around 30 years, he said.
These days, Martin said, what may have been a department with 80 to 100 volunteers is likely to see around 40 to 60. The reason, he said, is multifaceted. It may be that society is changing, he said, and it may have to do with the requirements a person faces if they want to do that job.
But the most important thing, in Martin’s view, is that a person have a desire to help others.
Being a part of the VFD, said Martin, was the same as being part of his community. The fires and ambulance calls Martin responded to were often for people he knew.
“You can’t get the volunteers you used to,” said Martin. “We need you. If you’re interested and can help,” said Martin, “it’s a dedication that really counts.”
Martin said that while he’s seen other volunteer firefighters injured and even killed fighting fires with the company, he himself has only been injured once, and it happened while preventing a full-scale fire in his own home.
He had been melting lead to seal pipes, and some of the molten metal had spouted out of the kettle when he opened the lid. Two of his fingers were burned, but that was all. That and a little bit of smoke damage in the house. He’d called to his wife at the time to “call the fire company,” but then canceled the call when he realized it wasn’t going to produce much more than smoke. Still, Martin said, the fire department gave him $20 to cover his injuries and the grange he’d just joined forwarded he and his wife $57 for the smoke.
What keeps Martin volunteering with the department, he said, is that he likes to help.
“It was making me feel good to do it,” said Martin. “Meeting people and supporting the VFD,” he said, was rewarding for him.
Even now, at the age of 96, Martin continues to sell tickets for VFD events and the VFD calendars, which was a fundraising idea he came up with.
“I love to help if I can,” said Martin.
Martin said that one of the concerns for volunteer fire departments is that with the falling numbers of people willing to commit to volunteering — and volunteers can fill any number of roles other than running into burning buildings, said Martin — there may not be VFDs in the future. “Everybody’s got something they can do to help,” said Martin.
Martin said that, when he started having trouble getting around, he had to stop responding to calls, but he still helps in any way he can.
Even now, he’s practicing walking to get ready for the end of February, when he hopes to walk from his apartment in Russell to a car, and from that car into the VFD’s Daytona 500 party.
According to Martin, “there’s no stopping (the commitment) until you can’t get around anymore.” He added, “I’d really like to see people joining. I don’t figure we’ll be around forever.”
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