The Good Life – March-April 2018

LOCAL HERO // HARWOOD FIRE AND RESCUE
Local Heroes
Volunteers at the Harwood Area Fire & Rescue Department
WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOGRAPHY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
At its heart, volunteerism is a sign of
selflessness. Time is precious and
schedules are full. Time given can
never be taken back.
While there are many noble ways
to give your time to causes, the 24
volunteers at the Harwood Area
Fire & Rescue Department take
this responsibility of inconvenience
and potential danger especially
seriously. Lives depend upon it.
The men and women who serve
have families, full-time jobs, own
businesses and are involved in their
churches. Yet some of them spend,
on average, 10 hours a week at the
fire hall. When the calls come in, they
may be in a work meeting, having
supper with loved ones, or tucking
their kids into bed. Whatever they
are doing, wherever they are, and
whatever the time, they come to the
rescue.
Willing and Able
Brian Giere, a 10-year volunteer and
an assistant fire chief, has worked
at the 7UP Bottling Company as
a distribution supervisor for over
20 years. His wife Brenda and
he also own Schmidt’s Jewelry
in South Fargo and the seasonal
Halloween Express store in Fargo.
Before volunteering at the Harwood
Area Fire & Rescue Department,
he had no experience putting out
fires and administering life-saving
techniques.
“I saw they had a call for volunteers
and I was willing and able. I thought
I was just going to show up and
wash their trucks and stuff like that.
Three years later, I was president
of the board, and the year after that
I became an assistant fire chief,”
30 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com