Fifty years of firefighting

DEARY — Tim Jones and Denny Proctor started volunteering at the Deary Fire Department 50 years ago and have no plans of stopping.

“Been doing it for so long now, I guess we won’t quit until we tip over, probably,” Proctor said.

Both are the sons of former Deary firefighters and both started volunteering as 18-year-olds in May 1973. Jones’ father was the fire chief at the time before passing that role to his son nearly 40 years ago.

Both said they have stayed with the department because they enjoy helping the community.

“Once you start doing it, it just kind of gets in your blood and stays there, I guess,” Proctor said.

When they started, the department had two fire trucks and one ambulance. The old, smaller station adjoined a bar. The old station still exists, but the bar is gone.

Between that and their new station, which was built next door in the mid-2000s, the department houses 10 trucks and two ambulances. A total of 50 people volunteer their time with the department.

Firefighting has improved over the years with better equipment and better training for the volunteers, Jones said.

Other Latah County fire departments have seen similar improvements which is why they are more adept at helping each other respond to emergencies than ever before, he said.

He recalled asking the Troy Fire Department for aid while responding to a structure fire two years ago. To his pleasant surprise, towns from all over the county sent fire trucks to help, too.

“We’ve come a long ways,” Jones said.

One can sense the pride in Jones’ voice when he shows off the vehicles the Deary Fire Department has at its disposal. Grants and donations allowed the station to accumulate these rigs over the years.

An anonymous donation of $25,000 allowed the department to buy all-terrain vehicles to help them respond to emergencies in hard-to-reach locations. A Federal Emergency Management Agency grantt allowed the department to purchase a fire truck in 2005

Military surplus trucks were also donated to the department and converted into emergency vehicles.

Maintaining these vehicles and their equipment is one of Jones’ favorite parts of the job.

“It’s a hobby for me,” he said.

The equipment allows department members to do their job better, but firefighting always comes with wins and losses.

“Some houses you save, some you don’t,” Jones said. “You do the best you can with what you’ve got.”

Luckily, they often get a helping hand from the community. Proctor said “people come running” whenever the fire department organizes a fundraising event to support the station.

Both spoke highly of the community they have served for decades. Proctor said his previous paying jobs as a logger and as a fiber optic installer have taken him all over the region. But there is no better place than the town he calls home, he said.

“I’ve been all over but I’ve never found a nicer place than this area right here,” he said. “North Idaho is kind of hard to beat.”

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.