A visit with the NJ Forest Fire Service at a County Fair

This past weekend was the Fair weekend in my parts: the annual County 4H and Agricultural Fair. This is always a fun time and I go every year, sometimes for more than one day. Yes, there are rides and games for the kids, bands and other entertainment, and the pleasure of watching the local $H clubs exhibit the projects they have worked on all you. Yes, there are shows for the various livestock, poultry and equine exhibitions. There is the tractor pull including a pedal tractor pull for the little ones on Saturday morning. I always enjoy the exhibit of antique tractors. I watched a couple of equine events, and visited the livestock and poultry tents.

But my favorite part this year was stopping by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Table in one of the exhibition tents. I just missed Smokey Bear who paid a visit to celebrate his 75th anniversary. But I did get to chat with a New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Wildland Firefighter from the section where I live. While I follow the NJFFS on various social media platforms, I rarely get a chance to have a conversation with a NJFFS firefighter in person. The best part was that he may live close to my town, at least he was intimately familiar with some of the open space in and adjacent to my town. More importantly, he knows the County where I live. He told me about the types of mostly smaller brush fires that they fight  and how they work with the local volunteer fire companies, some whom have brush trucks. We talked about how his section will help fight larger wildfires in other parts of New Jersey.

It was nice to put a face to one of these fine NJFFS firefighters who fight fires in my town and county. But my biggest take away is that he and the rest of the NJFFS in my section have the backs of their residents. This is true across New Jersey, your NJFFS section has your back. If the call comes, they will be there fighting the brush fire so that I may be safe. And if it should happen that the small brush fire turns into something larger, they will have our backs. I knew that the NJFFS works with the Volunteer Fire Companies, some of whom have their own brush trucks.

I got to thank him for his service. I told him about this blog, and how much I care about the NJFFS.

So for all the New Jersey Forest Fire Service wildland firefighters, no matter where you are in New Jersey, this post is for you. I want to say thank-you for having our backs, in the large wildfires and the small brush fires. You are there. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart. Stay safe.