Appreciating the firefighters
The blazing fire burning Chimney Rock has brought over 2,000 fire personnel to Paso Robles. These men and women have come from all over California, New Mexico and Arizona, some leaving their own towns that are burning to save houses and people’s lives. To show our appreciation, the community gathered on 24th street at seven a.m. Saturday. As the heroes drove passed, people exclaimed their gratitude, waved American flags and supportive signs. Brian Steiger and Craig Dopann are firefighters from Riverside, California who’ve both surpassed fifteen years of firefighting. Steiger has two children and has been battling the blazes for the past three weeks only being home twice. Dopann was sent from working the Soberanes Fire for twenty five days to Paso with no time to go home. 46,344 acres have been burned, Dopann says “the weather has been the hardest part, being so close the coast the weather changes dramatically and the fire “blows out” in all directions.” The wind can ruin days worth of work causing the men and women to have to restrategize. The work is exhausting mentally, physically, and emotionally but Dopann explained, “this is our job, this is what we do. When we come into communities like this, it makes our job a lot easier. This is the part that makes it all well worth it.”
Madison Funke
