09/29/2026
The fire truck that comes when you call in St. Helena is more than likely being driven by somebody who was asleep in their own bed just minutes ago.
All of our fire departments in St. Helena are volunteer. Not paid. Not sitting at the station waiting for that phone to ring. Theyβre your neighbors, your family, welders, teachers, nurses, farmers, mechanics, business owners, moms, dads, and folks just trying to make a livinβ and take care of their families.
But when that pager goes off, everything stops.
It might be in the middle of a shower, supper with the family, a birthday party, church, or two oβclock in the morninβ. They get up, pull on their gear, head to the station, jump on a truck, and go. No hesitation. No paycheck waiting on the other end. Just a heart that says, βSomebody needs us.β
And around here, we make do with what we have. Trucks arenβt always new. Equipment costs more than most folks realize. Sometimes a department is trying to keep an old truck runninβ just a little longer while raising money with fish fries, plate sales, raffles, donations, and the generosity of neighbors.
And those calls are not always fires.
Theyβre wrecks on dark country roads.
Grass fires runninβ with the Louisiana wind.
Medical calls.
Rescues.
Storms.
And those moments when every second counts and your closest help may still be a long ways down the road.
But the hardest partβthe part folks outside a small community may never truly understandβis that around hereβ¦ we know the address before we ever get there.
We know whose house it is.
We know whose mama lives there.
We know whose kids are inside.
We know the family standing in the driveway.
And we go anyway.
We do our job. We help our neighbors. We load back up, head home, and when morning comes, we still gotta get up and go to work like it was just another night.
Thatβs what being a volunteer firefighter in a small St. Helena parish (Pine Grove) community means.
It ainβt about the spotlight.
It ainβt about the recognition.
Itβs about your neighbor callinβ for help and knowinβ youβre gonna answer.
So tonight, hug your volunteer firefighter a little tighter.
And if you see that fire truck headed down the road, remember thereβs a good chance the person behind that wheel left their own family, their own bed, and their own life for a little whileβ¦
just to come help yours. So when you see Red Lights π¨ππ please pull to the Right!!!
If you would like to become a volunteer contact your local fire department
District 2 Pine Grove VFD
[email protected]
Chief
Kenneth Smith
225-202-1276