Saving a House Fire at Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department

For nearly ten years, from around 2008 to 2020, I volunteered as a firefighter with the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. It’s a role that’s about community, responsibility, and sometimes quick thinking.

One day, a call came in about a house fire down the street. When I arrived, I found the former selectman (possibly Lloyd Danforth) sitting on his garage stoop with singed hair. I checked on him and ran to find a hose.

Harry Nelson, the chief and a great mentor, pulled up in the engine, handed me a four-inch hose, and said, “Mark, get in there.”

I went inside and knocked out the fire in seconds. The Keene department arrived a minute later but weren’t thrilled. They missed out on fighting the fire. Thanks to our quick response, only the mudroom and part of the kitchen wall were damaged. We saved the house.

Harry even called me a hero.

— Mark Edgington

This article also appears on https://medium.com/@markedgington, where you can learn more about Mark Edgington’s ongoing work.