Geary County Deputies Feel the Burn: From Crime Stoppers to Firefighters

Geary County Sheriff's Deputies are certified and sworn law enforcement officers with all the duties and responsibilities one would expect. They patrol the highways and rural roads of the county enforcing traffic code, providing assistance, serving civil process, and upholding the laws of the state of Kansas. These dedicated professionals perform a variety of tasks throughout the course of a twelve hour shift, as would be expected of any law enforcement agency.

What many people, including citizens of Geary County don't know about these deputies, is that they also comprise a large part of the rural fire department. On a moments notice, the scope of their duty can shift from crime prevention to fire fighting. If it catches on fire in a rural area, it's a safe bet that deputies will soon arrive to fight back the flames. And when the fire is out, they return to their patrol duties. Fire fighting duty is included in the job description and not considered an option. Furthermore, no additional pay is allotted for this duty. One more reason to admire and respect these brave men and women.

When the dispatcher broadcasts a fire run, deputies immediately stop whatever it is they are doing and go directly to the nearest fire station. The only exceptions to this are when the ranking fire department official says that deputy involvement is not required, or the situation they are involved in can not be neglected, in which case they would expedite a conclusion to the current activity, and when appropriate, respond to either the scene of the new emergency or to the nearest fire station. At the station, the first to arrive has the responsibility of dressing in the required gear, starting vehicles, and quite possibly rolling to the scene solo.

The Geary County rural fire department operates fifteen trucks out of nine stations and is under the direction of a Fire Chief and Assistant Chief. It is comprised mainly of volunteers who live in rural parts of the county. There are over a hundred volunteers both only a handful of those are required to respond to all calls. The others respond to incidents with a certain proximity to their homes. Deputies however, are the backbone of the department and respond to any and all emergencies. Each has been issued a set of fire fighting gear, and has access to all o the stations throughout the county. Training is coordinated and conducted by the Chief and Assistant Chief to ensure that all deputies are competent in basic fire fighting skills and are familiar with the operation of the required equipment and vehicles.

For more information about the Geary County Rural Fire Department or how t become a volunteer you can visit the web page at http://www.geary.kansasgov.com/