Well, already it’s August and the summer is quickly moving past us. Things have been slow so far in the district, but that could change very quickly if the heat persists and the rain stays away. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Some interesting tidbits about the month of August: It is National Catfish month, National Golf month, National Eye Exam month, National Water Quality month, Romance Awareness month, Peach month and Foot Health month. Some specific days in August to keep in mind are, August 3 – National Watermelon Day, August 6 – Wiggle Your Toes Day, August 10 – Lazy Day (my favorite), August 22 – Be An Angel Day and August 25 – Kiss and Make-Up Day (another favorite). There’s a lot going on during the “dog days” of August.

There are a couple of things I want to touch on this month. First, most, if not all of you, are aware that Lt. Maynard Brandsma (DFRA volunteer) passed away while hiking with his daughter. I had the pleasure to get to know Maynard by attending several classes with him during the past couple of years. Maynard was a very dedicated and loyal member of DFRA and had received several awards from his peers at DFRA for his commitment and dedication. He was fun to be around and he always challenged himself to become better. Our department was represented at his memorial service and the department also supported DRFA during his service by providing an engine and crew for coverage in Durango, so that members of DFRA could attend the service. My point for bringing this up is twofold. First and foremost, don’t let a day go by without living it to it’s fullest, things happen when you least expect them. Take care of yourself and those around you. Lastly, it always gives me a deep feeling of pride to see departments come together to help each other when things like this happen. I feel very blessed to say I am part of the fire service and to know that my fire service family extends far beyond our own department.

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