Howard County fireman made a daring rescue on Wednesday of last week after a pickup truck slid off the side of Highway 124 into a creek. Firemen Gary Kunze and  Wally Eaton responded from Fayette. The men, along with Howard County EMT Jason Hill and passerby Randy Lutz, waded into the freezing cold water and rescued the driver of the truck, Renee Delp.

Delp was westbound on Hwy. 124 near where it intersects with County Road 103 around 7:10 a.m. Snowfall made for a slick roadway and the truck slid off the side and ended up in the creek where it was submerged in several feet of mud and water. It took nearly 30 minutes to extricate her from the truck and safely bring her up the hill to the ambulance.

Fellow firemen Bryan Kunze and Anthony Shiflett arrived on scene shortly after Delp was extricated.

While neither Delp nor the first responders were injured during the rescue, the situation exposes a dangerous shortage of available firemen in the area during the day. Many of the department’s personnel, all of whom are volunteers, work out of town and are not available to respond to emergencies during the workweek.

“We’re in trouble,” said fireman and former chief Bryan Kunze.

The shortage is not only felt in Fayette but in all four stations among the Howard County Fire Protection District. Station 3 in particular, which is located on North Route A, is in the midst of a critical shortage.

“It’s a nationwide problem, especially in rural areas,” Kunze said. And of the firemen in Fayette during the workdays, nearly all are above the age of 50.

“We need more volunteer firefighters, especially those who are around during the day,” said HCFPD Board member Lee Young.

The district is actively seeking volunteers. All training and equipment are paid for by the district. Any able bodies are welcome, including students attending Central Methodist. 

Interested volunteers should contact District Chief Chris Wilhoit at (660) 888-1248 or District Board President Scotty Shiflett at (660) 728-2749.