Fire fighting definitely runs in the Braun family.
It was a choice between being a sheriff's deputy or a firefighter, and 45 years later, Cole County Fire Protection District Chief Donnie Braun doesn't regret choosing the later.
"A lot of things have changed," said Braun, who is the last original member from when the district formed. "When we started, we had one pumper truck and acquired a tanker truck a few years later. We trained with Jefferson City firefighters and donations had to be given to equip us."
Braun said they covered 100 square miles back then. But over the years, they've grown, now covering 220 square miles in three different counties, with eight fire stations.
In 1993, voters approved going from a volunteer department to a tax-supported fire protection district. Each of the eight fire stations in the district houses at least one pumper, one tanker and one brush truck.
"We get a lot of guys coming through, but it's harder nowadays to get guys interested in what we do," Braun said. "Once we get them trained, though, and they see that we can save lives and people, they get into it. It's not for every person. Some don't like the pressure of working a fire scene. A lot of our guys serve on the Jefferson City Fire Department. They start here, advance to the city, but stay with us."
Braun's three sons and grandson Justin are all volunteers with the department.
"Your family has to be supportive," he said. "They never know if you're going to end up being injured or worse."
"Just growing up watching my dad, two uncles and grandpa doing it made me want to get involved," Justin said. "I had to go through a lot of training, but having family that had been so involved helped me out."
Justin has been with the district for five years. Steve Braun has been on for 32, Gary Braun for 29, and Alan Braun for 22.
"It's nice working as a family and it keeps us closer," Gary said. "The rewards my dad got through it made me think it would be nice to get involved."
"Car wrecks are normally the worst; they stick with you longer," Steve said. "Safety has improved for house fires. Cell phones have helped in communications with people being able to let us know about fires faster. It's been nice to have the the whole family working together because you know what strong points they have and you don't worry about whether or not they'll follow through and do things that need to get done."
"In the volunteer service many times it's a
family affair," Alan said. "For a lot of people when their parents are involved, the kids get involved. When I was younger, having my dad do it made me want to get involved. My boys want to do it, but they're not old enough yet. This is an always changing business that never stays steady. It's not just putting water on the fire to put it out. We have to stay as current as we can so we have a fire ready service."
In his 45 years, Braun has fought many fires, but one does stand out.
"We were at the home of a fire marshal from out-of-state on Glovers Ford Road," he said.
"We got a call from the daughter who said her mother was still inside, but it later turned out she was at another location. We didn't know that though, and I had firefighters going into this burning structure looking for her. I bet there were six of them who had to be treated for heat and burns, but thankfully no one died.
"It later turned out that fire marshal had actually set the fire."
"It takes a different breed of guy to be a firefighter," he said.