#5 - October 17, 2011

Special Report:

Drought, Fire, Lasting Effects for Farmers

October 17, 2011

Volunteering Life:

PLUS Troup Firefighters PLUS New Trend: Organic Art Cover Photo By: Chantel Martin

In This Issue

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

By Kelley Connor Managing Editor

November is fast approaching as East Texans revel in cooler temperatures, glad to put the brutal Summer of 2011 behind us.

Although we made it through, we certainly are not unscathed.

According to the Texas Forest Service, fires destroyed nearly 3,000 homes in our state, leaving more than one million acres of land and $97 million in timber scorched and smoldering.

Added rain has lowered the threat of wildfires, prompting 24 counties to halt burn bans mostly in central Texas and along the Gulf Coast.

This rain has done little, however, to alleviate our severe drought conditions.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality lists 636 water systems that are under mandatory restrictions, with a total of 942 community water systems affected by possible shortages.

This issue of The Pine Curtain focuses on our environment—how it’s been changed by drought and fire; how it will change in the weeks and months ahead; and what some people are doing to cope with it.

Our emphasis is on you, East Texans.

How are local volunteer fire departments handling the stress, long hours and limited funding?

How are ranchers keeping their cattle fed and watered?

What are your local politicians saying lately and are their remarks true?

We hope you enjoy this issue, but more than that, we hope it makes you think. Feel free to give us your feedback and, above all, enjoy these wonderful cooler days of Fall.

2 • The Pine Curtain

Contents OPINION

4

T-BONE

6

NEWS

8

EMPHASIS

12

FEATURES

16

ART + LIFE

20

T-BONE

6

“Texas has been hit hard

by Obama and his administration just because he lost Texas.”

Captain Ronnie LaMotte, Troup, steps through the doors of the firehouse,lights his cigarette and puts on his hat that reads “First In, Last Out.”

12

SPECIAL REPORT

Not only have ranchers begun feeding hay early, they have also harvested much less than usual. Saddler’s 3,000 non-contiguous acres usually produce 3,000 to 3,500 bails of hay per year.

24 STAFF

ART + LIFE

Bette Barron is currently in the process of making her own paper. She said she uses plants, flowers, moss and grass to develop small sheets of various textures that she hopes to one day put back together in the form of us-

Advisor

DAVE WEINSTOCK Editor-In-Chief

CHANTEL MARTIN Managing Editor

KELLEY CONNOR

Contributing Writers BECK ALLMAN IRVING MARMOLEJO RACHEL PRATAS JASMINE SMITH

JESSICA SWINK WHITNEY TEAGUE WHITNEY WHATLEY JEFF WRIGHT

Photographers DARREN FEAGIN RACHEL PRATAS

HAYLEE STORY

Comments or questions can be directed to the.pine.curtain.mag@gmail.com The Pine Curtain Magazine is an online publication created by Communication students at the University of Texas at Tyler. Content may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from The Pine Curtain Magazine. ©The Pine Curtain Magazine 2011

Oct. 17, 2011 • 3

In This Issue

16

FEATURES

Where are East Texans’ environmental manners?

By Kelley Connor

Opinion

Managing Editor

This message goes out to all the car washers and lawn waterers—the trash burners and cigarette flickers: there is more to the environment than what immediately surrounds your front door.

To those who still have green lawns, it is time to turn off the sprinklers and listen.

At a time when other state residents are under tight water restrictions, most local water suppliers have shown poor judgment by not calling for mandatory cuts.

Communities that get water from reservoirs like Lake O’ the Pines, can measure and keep track of their water resource.

But for areas where water is supplied by underground sources, the situation is a little sketchier.

No one knows how long this drought will last. San Antonio, which has been under restrictions since early April, now sits at level three and water use is tightly regulated.

Water-rich areas are already having to share precious resources with dryer locales, which are rapidly growing in number.

Saving our water now ensures we will have it to share later.

As for the fires that consumed thousands of acres, most of them probably could have been avoided.

Many East Texans are still burning their trash, which doesn’t help the situation.

Diboll resident Daniel Holeman was arrested September 13 and charged with a Class C misdemeanor for refusing to let firefighters put out a trash fire he started on his property.

We need to step out of the 1950s and become more environmentally conscious. Drought notwithstanding, is it ever OK to burn trash?

No. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, burning trash releases dioxins, as well as other pollutants. Dioxins are toxic compounds that can cause immune system suppression, hormone imbalance and cancer.

Particulate matter is also released in the form of ash. This can lodge in our lungs, potentially causing respiratory distress and even heart attacks.

That said, the penalty should be stiffer for trash-burners who

disregard the health and safety of their neighbors. Then they may consider taking their trash to the curb like everyone else.

Speaking of disregard, what makes someone flick a lighted cigarette out of a car, when they have a perfectly good ashtray within reach?

Absurdly, some smokers defend their right to lick, alluding to new cigarettes that are made to go out when not being smoked. They say there is no relation between cigarette-flicking and fires.

The fire-safe cigarettes were developed to lessen the occurrence of house fires starting in furniture and bedding. There is no mention of a correlation between these cigarettes and a drop in outdoor fires.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, the fire-safe cigarettes take approximately five minutes to go out. Five minutes is a long time in dry grass.

It’s time for local lawmakers and water suppliers to take the environment seriously and get a lot more stringent. The situation we’re in calls for more than just wrist-slapping.

Stock Photo

4 • The Pine Curtain

Farmers turn to animal dumping, supply shortage

By Chantel Martin Editor-in-Cheif

Opinion

Since the start of July, Smith County has experienced several wildfires due to the dry climate.

Texas ranchers have recently resorted to dumping livestock because—owing to the states recent bouts of wildfire and drought—many no longer have the feed nor forage to sustain them.

This is both illegal and unnecessary.

It’s not that farmers and ranchers have not seen many of their feedstuffs go up in smoke recently. According to the Texas Forest Service, Smith County has experienced a total of 539 wildfires and a total of 3,000 acres have been burned.

The Texas Department of Agriculture Market News reported: “Buyers are very aggressive for hay supplies to fill needs, but they are finding hay in the state scarce and hard to find.”

In response, the state has begun to charge farmers for livestock left on the side of the road or at abandoned properties for the feed necessary to keep them alive.

According to the ASPCA, there are from 5 million to 7 million abandoned animals every year.

Although the East Texas SPCA does not currently have a building to house abandoned live-

stock, volunteer Deborah Dobbs said “…usually when we get a call about abandoned or neglected animals such as horses, we can get on the phone and call farmers from all over the area. They’ll say, ‘I’ll take one, I can take two,’ and they drive in with their trailers and take the animals.”

Hobbs knows animal upkeep, such as horses, can be expensive. She described them as “beautiful creatures that are good for nothing.” But even with the constrictions farmers need to know, when it comes to housing and feeding their livestock, alternatives are available.

Serenity Springs Sanctuary and Animal Rescue in Forestburg Texas is a shelter for livestock. The organization is a non-profit and “no-kill” operation that relies completely on donations. Animals include pigs, goats, cows, horses, fowls and equine.

Another livestock adoption agency in Texas is the Sara Society for Animal Rescue and Adoption. SARA, located in Seguin, also operates with the help from donations and feeds 1,000 pounds of dry dog food and over 2,000 pounds of corn, hay and farm animal feed each day.

The acreage and homes lost in the East Texas wildfires have put

Stock Photos

many in an emotional and economical bind. But just because a person is suffering does not mean the animals should be.

Farmers are not money crazed entrepreneurs with black holes for hearts. So hopefully with the right tools, resources and available options, they can see there is a better alternative than involuntary mammal-slaughter.

Oct. 17, 2011 • 5

“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains,

T-Bone

Take your average T-bone steak. Carve away the fat and the bone and the little that remains is meat. Take your average politician. Carve away the bluster and rhetoric and you just may find the truth…or not. In our T-Bone, we’ll look at political quotes that make us wonder where the meat is, closely examine their value and grade them just as a meat inspector might grade cuts of beef: Prime, Choice, Standard or Canner. Then we’ll serve it up to you for your consumption.

‘Prime’ Truth: Top shelf—Grade A goodness.

‘Choice’ Truth: Mostly true, depending on the bull it came from.

‘Standard’ Truth: Run of the mill bull—more gristle than fat, less meaty than most.

‘Canner’ Truth: I wouldn’t eat that.

“As a matter of fact, we created more jobs in the last three months in Texas than (Mitt Romney) created in four years in Massachusetts.”

--Governor Rick Perry, at the Republican presidential debate, Sept. 7 Perry is shooting from the hip with this one, made at a Republican presidential debate in California, Sept. 7. He was talking about Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.

Surprisingly, Perry almost hit where he was aiming.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Massachusetts was ranked 47th in terms of job growth during Romney’s tenure. In fact, after his first year in office the state had dropped to 50th. The job growth rate in Massachusetts was 0.9 percent, while the national everage was 5 percent.

More than 90,000 jobs were created while Romney was in office.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reports Texas had a job growth rate of 2.4 percent throughout 2011. Texas is ranked third in the nation as far as job growth, with roughly 43,000 jobs created in the last quarter.

6 • The Pine Curtain

however improbable, must be the truth?”

—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) The Sign of Four.

“Texas has been hit hard by Obama and his administration just because he lost Texas.”

-– State Rep. Leo Berman (R–Tyler), in his endorsement of Rick Perry printed in the Texs Tribune, August 13

“Our taxes have doubled since (Perry’s) been in office.”

--Rep. Ron Paul, at the Tea Party Express debate, Sept. 12 It’s hard to judge this vague quote without knowing which taxes Rep. Paul was talking about.

Even though Perry has been in office for over a decade, taxes have not doubled.

According to The tax that came closest--Paul’s corporate franchise tax--only rose by 44 percent.

In other taxes, Texas collected over $3,000 per person in 2009, the last year recorded so far.

That number is up 44 percent from 2,000--not doubled.

To come up with these numbers, we took the total tax collected, more than $39 billion, and dividing it by the population, more than 25 million.

Finding no truth to this one, we’ll have to award this quote a Canner grade.

Oct. 17, 2011 • 7

T-Bone

We dug through several articles and bills before finding a surprising grain of truth to what Berman said-- just a grain, though.

Many of the pending bills in this legislative session only seem harder on Texas because they are more environmentally motivated, which goes against the state’s main industry, oil and gas.

Apparently Berman mistook this environmentally concious legislation for revenge-motivated legislation--something we don’t think exists.

So Berman keeps his reputation with the T-Bone and is awarded another Canner grade.

Funding dispute causes resignation of firefighter

By Chantel Martin

News

Editor-In-Chief

A funding dispute between Smith County Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Service Dispatch (ESD) has left many departments frustrated and one without a leader. Chapel Hill Fire Chief Cody Crawford resigned after a meeting between the two parties Sept. 22, when ESD decided to cut his salary.

Firefighter Kelly Acker, interim fire chief, was surprised by the ESD decision and the lack of an explanation. “[Crawford] resigned because of frustration,” Acker said. “That is probably the key word when dealing with ESD.” Although it is not required to pay the fire chiefs, ESD has been doing so for the last three years. State law only obligates the company to provide fire services to its districts, including funding for fuel and equipment.

No one at ESD has responded to an interview request.

ESD has also made deeper cuts, by reducing the budgets of the volunteer fire departments. Noonday Fire Chief Howard Harris said ESD has cut his budget by $60,000. This made it hard to afford the one thousandplus gallons of diesel fuel needed to get through the worst fire season East Texas has experienced.

“We’ve had increases in maintenance and repairs,” Harris said.

“We’ve burned tires, bunker gear 8 • The Pine Curtain

and fire hoses. There’s no end to the cost that this fire season has handed us.”

Smith County residents may also be affected by the cuts.

Harris said departments have been working hard to keep the ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating at a four or lower, instead of the nine or 10 that it once was.

The ISO ranks fire departments according to safety and training criteria—1 being the best—and sells this data to insurance companies.

If ISO ratings go up, this could increase insurance premiums in the county.

Harris said he as well as others have tried to explain these factors to the ESD, but thinks the board members have “hidden agendas.”

“The decisions that they’re making may benefit some of them politically,” he said. “I’ve heard from a very reliable source that two of them are going to run for public office so this may be a feather in their cap for them to say ‘yeah we cut your tax rate and yeah we saved you money.’”

Even with one firefighter on the board, who is currently in Colorado to take a break from the stress, both fire chiefs agree there is a lack of understanding between the departments and the ESD. “It's like we're banging our heads against a brick wall and we can't get anything done,” Acker said. “That brick wall keeps getting higher and

thicker.”

Harris said ESD board members have no compassion for the departments.

“They do not care how we operate,” he said. “If they did, they would come to our fire stations and they would ride out with us and see what we do.”

Chapel Hill Volunteer Fire Department has used the same trucks for 12 years, requiring additional maintenance. The National Fire Department Association (NFDA) requires that engines needing repairs be moved off the front line, to reserve status. This diminishes the number of active trucks.

“We set up a budget for all of that,” he said. “We had the down payment so all we needed was the money but [the ESD] denied our request.

It’s not like they don’t have the money, they brag about the ESD being loaded with it.”

Acker said all he can do now is hope no one will follow Crawford’s example and resign, adding maybe public support for the departments will help resolve the situation.

“It all starts with the Smith County Commissioners Court, who appoints board members,” he said.

“They need to put more care and thought into who they put on the board.”

In his opinion, board members need to agree with the purpose of the ESD and understand more about the departments.

“They may have meant it for evil but God made it for good”

By Rachel Pratas Contributing Writer

After being burned by arsonists last year, Lake Athens Baptist Church, in Athens, re-opened its doors Sept. 11 in celebration of its new sanctuary.

After 19 months of rebuilding, Senior Pastor John Green, who had watched as the sanctuary burned to the ground, stood at the new pulpit to address his congregation.

“They may have meant it for evil but God made it for good,” Green said.

The church was one of 10 churches burned throughout East Texas over a span of five weeks, beginning in Jan. 2010.

During the sanctuary’s con-

struction, the congregation held services in the gymnasium, located in the Family Life Center.

Members of the 600-plus congregation donated money, time and service toward the project.

Thanks to these donations, a $28,000 organ now sits in the sanctuary, replacing the old one which didn’t survive the fire.

Robert B. Richardson, head of the committee of volunteers, worked alongside a number of members from the church and other organizations to help rebuild the sanctuary.

“We had numerous folks in the church that volunteered a lot of their time and skills and did some good work,” said Richard-

son.

Athens Fire Chief, John McQueary and his team of firefighters were one of eight fire units across East Texas that helped put out the fire and protect what was left.

“Our main thing once we realized we were going to lose the sanctuary, was to protect the exposure of the gym and office areas, and we pretty much did that,” said McQueary.

Photos by: Rachel Pratas

Oct. 17, 2011 • 9

News

Athens church, destroyed by serial arsonists, reopens

.......what’s left of it.

Hay Hotline proves valuable for farmers, livestock

By Beck Alleman

Special Report

Contributing Writer

When people think of how farmers buy and sell goods, the Internet is not something that typically comes to mind. The prevailing notion is that farmers are among the slowest adjusters to new technology, especially when that technology involves computers. One thing that might change people's minds about this, however, is the Hay Hotline.

Sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Hay Hotline’s website can be found here: http://www.gotexan.org/HayhotlineHome.aspx.

The hotline is a tool for farmers to buy and sell hay from each other, and even arrange pickup, online.

Think of it as eBay or Craigslist for hay buyers and sellers.

"The Hay Hotline is a tool that helps Texas producers get in touch with people who have hay for sale, hay hauling services for transporting their hay and available pasture leases," said Jessica Glover, TDA representative.

This doesn't mean the TDA is actually involved in the buying and selling process. The department simply provides the web space, as well as advice and assistance for the hay dealers.

"TDA's function in this hotline is to provide producers with the most current information avail10 • The Pine Curtain

able for meeting their hay needs, but we are not involved in the transactions between buyer and seller," Glover said.

Although some hay sellers prefer not to use the hotline, the ones that do enjoy the added convenience of the Internet.

"I think it will help our company in the future to get our name on their roster as a supplier," said Vicki Maxson, owner of Horse Haymaker, a local hay grower and supplier that operates in the East Texas area. Although the Hay Hotline certainly makes achieving a monetary goal easier, sometimes things just don't work out.

"We have only sold approximately 2,500 small square bales in 2011, one-sixth of the amount we were expecting to have sold by now," Maxson said.

"High demand and low availability has driven pricing up more than double since 2009."

The cause of these low sales is obvious to anyone who has lived in Texas for any length of time: drought. The drought has drained local soil of much of its nutrients, making the situation grim for not just the Maxsons, but any hay dealers in the area. The pastures upon which the Maxsons grow their hay look healthy enough to the untrained eye, but the reality is much less pleasant.

"Our hay supplies haven't been affected by the

Special Report

fires, but drastically by the drought. Demand is beyond any hay producer's potential," Maxson said.

Making things worse, the need for supplemental feeding has come earlier than usual. Supplemental feeding simply means increasing the food given to livestock -- in the Maxsons’ case, horses -- in order to maximize and balance their diet.

"Normally there is very little need for supplemental hay feeding ‘till November, but this year it started in June," Maxson said.

And since the Maxsons grow their own hay, without buying it elsewhere, their supplies are cut even shorter.

The TDA, mindful of the drought and wildfire danger, has set up several supply points across Texas in the event of an emergency.

"One of the supply points the TDA set up is in Waller County,” said Cody Dennison, Waller County TDA agent. “It's mainly a place for farmers to take their livestock or hay in the event of a fire. It's always good to have a backup plan."

The supply points are listed on the Hay Hotline website. The locations also function as meeting points for those who don't want to make an entire trip when buying or selling large quantities of hay.

The other supply points are in Georgetown, in Williamson County, Bastrop, in Bastrop County and Linden, in Linden County.

Hopefully the Hay Hotline will enable sellers to offset at least some of the losses incurred from droughts. Dennison certainly hopes so.

"We wish those selling and buying hay the best," Dennison said. "It's a rough line of work, especially now, and we're doing all we can to help them out."

Photos by: Darren Feagin

As a result of the worst fire season in East Texas, there is little remianing hay, forestry and water.

Oct. 17, 2011 • 11

”

Special Report

“

Fish are dying and making the water undrinkable for animals.

Photos by: Haylee Story

Top: Fishing in Lake Palestine is more difficult for East Texas residents because of the lackof water. Bottom Left: The drought has caused Cherokee County to be under water restriction laws. Top/Bottom Right: Animals are having more difficulties finding food and grazing is becoming a problem for farmers and their livestock.

12 • The Pine Curtain

‘Where did all the water go?’

Drought causes ranchers to sell livestock

By Haylee Story and Irving Marmolejo Contributing Writers

Oct. 17, 2011 • 13

Special Report

Herd sizes in East Texas are dwindling as ranchers, unable to feed and water their cattle, are forced to sell them.

Phil Sadler, owner of Sadler Ranch, in Golden, usually keeps a herd of about 650 adult cows. This year, he is down to 415 adults. “Grazing conditions are terrible. Pasture grass should be around a yard tall, and right now, ours is shorter than any front lawn,” Sadler said.

The situation is the same In Cherokee County, where Patrick Reagan, a Jacksonville ranch owner, spends $250 every month to keep his livestock watered after his ponds dried up.

“I have sold 20 percent of my normal herd and if it doesn’t rain (soon) I will have to sell another 30 percent. We are talking about a normal herd of approximately 500 head,” Reagan said.

These ranchers are not alone. According to the Texas Farm Bureau, cattle sales have more than doubled since 2010. In fact, from May to August nearly 43,000 more cows were sold than in all of 2010.

For ranchers forced to sell their cattle, at least the market is a good one.

“The price of beef cattle has held and calf prices are up,” Tommy Phillips, county extension agent in Van Zandt, said.

To fully grasp the ranchers’ plight, one must first understand the far-reaching effects of drought.

Typically, cattle graze on grass during the summer months with little supplemental food. This

makes summer a good time for ranchers to harvest hay to stock up for the winter months.

This year, however, many ranchers started feeding livestock hay as early as July because of the lack of grazing grass.

Not only have ranchers begun feeding hay early, they have also harvested much less than usual.

Sadler’s 3,000 non-contiguous acres usually produce 3,000 to 3,500 bails of hay per year. This year, he only harvested 300 bails—a mere 10 percent of his normal crop.

With barren pastures, ranchers have to go outside the state to obtain hay to feed their animals.

“Hay is coming from Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas and Minnesota,” Phillips said.

Of course, the hay won’t help if there is no water to wash it down with. Water sources such as ponds, lakes and creeks in East Texas have begun drying up. As they do, their environments change, killing their resident fish.

“We have received dozens of reports of lakes and ponds where fish are dying and making the water undrinkable for animals,” said Lola R. McCracken, Texas AgriLife service extension agent in Cherokee County.

Although it may be hard for some to imagine right now, McCracken said there is a positive side to East Texas’ drought and subsequent wildfires.

Although tragic, the fires will help replace what the drought is robbing from the soil.

“Fire helps to improve the soil by putting nutrients back,” McCracken said. “It’s like a fertilizer.”

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Stock Photo

Lack of mast could hinder deer population growth

By Jessica Swink Contributing Writer

Wildlife officials fear East Texas’ deer populations may suffer a die-off this winter, due to relentless drought conditions.

Nathan Garner is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department division regional director in East Texas.

He is certain that an elevated deer population coupled with Texas' ongoing drought is a recipe for disaster.

The food that animals hunt for and eat, known as "mast," is becoming harder to find. "Deer have 14 • The Pine Curtain

been thriving and are doing very well, but the drought has created tough range conditions for animals that need plants to eat," Garner said.

This year’s acorns and hickory nuts—the few there are—are small and “don't have much meat to them," Garner said. "There is an abundance of starving and nutritionally stressed deer and wildlife after a tough summer with nothing to help them survive."

Eric Woolverton, TPWD division regional director for the Post Oak Savannah area, agrees. He hopes to get the deer population under control

quickly.

"There are some stable deer populations in some places, but population can also get very high.

When it does, the deer can wander into people's yards or flower beds and eat their flowers and plants," Woolverton said.

Higher deer populations are not the only wildlife issue plaguing East Texas. Feral hogs have done millions of dollars in damage, both in this area and statewide.

Amy Weatherholtz lives with her husband Jacob on the Blossom Ridge Ranch in Athens, a sprawl-

ing landscape covering more than 100 acres.

They both agree that feral hogs are a huge issue to deal with.

"We live out in the boonies," Weatherholtz said.

"The hogs are definitely our main problem right now."

To manage the increasing feral hog population, the Weatherholtzes deal with them in two ways.

The first is through trapping, although Amy said until recently it's been too hot to do so. Their main method of population management is to hunt and kill the hogs.

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Stock Photo

Oct. 17, 2011 • 15

The many lives of East Texas

Features

Photos by: Chantel Martin

Jim Carlyle, a retired volunteer fire fighter for the Troup Fire Department, sat in the break room and told the men the story about when the church arsons were on the rise, he would bolt his church’s food pantry door shut as people joked and laughed at him.

Captain Ronnie LaMotte told a story about the different model engines the group has been through and how he would tear shingles off roofs and knock over chimneys with the hose.

Captain Joseph Nix explained the time he had to deliver a baby in an elevator during Hurricane Katrina and the history of the Dalmatian.

The Weather Channel was on the television as Nixon took a 16 • The Pine Curtain

quick phone call from his wife and Carlyle took a quick phone call from his eldest daughter.

The room was filled with file cabinets of small chip bags and cookies, the walls were covered with maps of the surrounding areas and the desk held a stack of envelopes containing donations and firefighter magazines.

As the firemen watched the drought updates stream across the television Carlyle said, “when you go to church on Sunday, maybe you need to put more money in the plate.”

Carlyle took off his shoes and the others took a seat at the long tables as they were later joined

by Nix’s wife and 3-year-old daughter.

As the day came to an end and

the small family dispersed Carlyle walks to his cherry red pickup truck while LaMotte walks back to his laughing, “gotta have a red truck.”

“

Every day, before I leave, I kiss my wife goodbye.

”

LaMotte walks through the narrow halls of the building, squeezing through rows and rows of bottled water and Gatorade. When he steps through the door the wind blows against the American flag posted outside.

He puts on his hat embellished

and educated about fire safety.

“Stupid people have flammable items in their homes,” he said.

“When a house catches on fire, the air conditioners that are put on roofs usually collapse on us.

I’ve had walls come down on me and roofs cave in.”

LaMotte said that fire also has a tendency totravel underground.

“When the wind picks up like this,” he said as he watched the wind direct the smoke from his cigarette, “it can carry the burning pieces of wood to a place that’s not burning. And people don’t realize that when a tree catches on fire, the flames wil-

do not compare to the constant battle a structure fire can bring.

“Being called to a scene where it’s your own daughter that has been involved in a car accident, scared the hell out of me,” he said.

“Luckily she wasn’t hurt. And one time my son fell through the second floor of a house fire we were at. I thank God he’s OK.” LaMotte said he has been involved in almost every situation he can think of including animal rescues and suicides.

“I see a lot of things going out on calls,” he said. “Deaths of children are especially stressful and a lot of the new guys get woozy

Features

with the words “First In, Last Out” and lights his cigarette.

“You never know when you’re going to see your family again,” he said. “One time, my wife hadn’t seen me in six days ‘cause I was out there.”

LaMotte is 62 years old and has been a Troup volunteer firefighter for 24 years. Along with his wife, his family consists of his daughter and three sons, who are also volunteers for the fire department.

“When I was younger, I saw the fire trucks going in and out all the time,” he said. “One day they were shorthanded and since I lived in the area, some guys asked me to join.”

LaMotte also works for the Emergency Medical Services and is a first responder to 911 calls.

“I like to help people and they are usually grateful,” LaMotte said as he gestured to the building. “People in the community have been coming out to donate money, water, Gatorade and the churches bring us food. But sometimes you get people who wonder why you didn’t get there fast enough when their house is fully engulfed by the time you arrive.”

As a volunteer, LaMotte not only extinguishes fires, he and his team check fire hydrant pressure, develop pre-fire plans and maintain the vehicles and equipment. But his top priority is to make sure that everyone is safe

A donor drops off a donation check for the Troup Volunteer Fire Department. run underground and come out wherever the roots come out.

Any fire has the potential to take our lives.”

Despite being in danger himself, LaMotte said the memories of his children being in danger

because of it. But I tell ‘em they’re gonna see a lot of things.It’s not a matter of if you’re gonna see it, but when you’re gonna see it.”

LaMotte said the trucks sometimes carry chainsaws to cut through roofs while he and some Oct. 17, 2011 • 17

Features

The

of his team members carry certified medical bags in their cars so that they are able to assist directly. “We have a lot of tools for a lot of situations,” he said. “We are jacks of all trades and masters of none.”

LaMotte said the support from the community has helped build the morale of the volunteers at the fire department.

“Troup is a small town,” he said.

“When there is a disaster or time of need the people all come together. And I remember when he was 12, Mayor John Whitsell used to ride his bike over here and he would volunteer and do whatever we told him to do.”

And now that the fire department is in a time of need, LaMotte said the community has been doing their part to help out.

“Organizations like the Red Cross bring us food and they are out there on-site feeding us,” he said. “They bring us lots of Gatorade. Water is good but Gatorade is better.”

LaMotte laughed as one of his men yells “Grape” from down the hall. He puts out his cigarette

and leans against his cherry red pickup truck.

“I could go and take the test to become a full-time firefighter because volunteers do not have to be certified by the state,” LaMotte said. “But it’s not my thing.

I don’t want to do that. It’s rewarding being a volunteer.”

“

I’ve missed my child’s first steps and my child’s first words.

Captain Joseph Nix, Jacksonville, Texas, has been a firefighter since he was 16 years old. He said he rarely enjoys family moments and is away from home four months out of the year.

“I’ll work 25 hours in Jacksonville and then nine hours in Troup and then sometimes I’ll work a double,” he said. “There is no such thing as a holiday for firefighters.”

Despite the loss of valuable time with his loved ones, Nix said he has enjoyed being a firefighter

8 $3,000

NUMB3RS

7

7 miles to 1 gallon of gas on the diesel truck

18 • The Pine Curtain

”

and remembers his father being his primary influence because he was also a firefighter.

“We couldn’t find a babysitter sometimes,” he said. “So my dad would load me up and put me in the truck. I’ll be out there two, sometimes three in the morning watching him fight fires. I was fascinated with it.”

Nix is also an instructor and teaches classes about safety procedures and being a firefighter.

He said the Troup Volunteer Fire Department also has a junior program to teach young people about what it takes to save lives.

“Young people, and sometimes they are juveniles that have gotten in trouble with the law, come here and volunteer,” he said. “We can reach out to teenagers and young people and they see the aspect of our job and we can educate and mentor them.”

Nix said he also teaches other firefighters about the importance of technology and staying in shape.

“As a firefighter, you are always looking for new ways to help fight fires and prevent accidents because everything is advanc-

The fire trucks consumed $3,000 worth of fuel for 8 days.

Nixon has his na 8 birth certificat

15

Air packs provide firefig only 15 minutes worth

ing,” he said. “You also have to stay in shape because the leading cause of death in firefighters is cardiac arrest and heart attack.”

Nix said he remembers being younger and being able to go and help firefighters directly. Now, he said the state has mandated laws to prevent walk-ons to the department.

“People were getting hurt,” he said.

“They would go into structure or grass fires without being properly trained and wind up putting themselves in danger. So now if you’re under 18, even if you’re a firefighter, you’re not allowed to go near anything burning. You can hold a hose.”

The state also mandated the Rapid Intervention Team, which allows a pair of firefighters to switch places with another pair of firefighters as oxygen packs get low and fatigue set in.

“We call it the ‘two-in-two-out,’” he said. “You’re carrying the Bunker gear that weighs about 80 pounds because of the oxygen pack, your boots and jacket. We have to be constantly trained because people die when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Above:Captain Joseph Nix receives a visit from his daughter and wife whileon duty. LaMotte takes a tour of the new facility. Firemen often sleep on a recycled ambulance stretcher between shifts. Left: LaMotte’s signature red truck sits outside the department. Carlyle also drives a red truck.

$1,000,000

1250 $3,500

ghters with of oxygen

Features

ame on tes

A hose on full blast can shoot 1250 gallons per minute

Photo by: Chantel Martin

It costs $1 million to build the new Troup Volunteer Fire Station

It costs $3500 for the new fire truck

Oct. 17, 2011 • 19

Art + Life Works By: Briana Sutton 20 • The Pine Curtain

art

Works By: Briana Sutton

Art + Life Oct. 17, 2011 • 21

Art + Life

Works By: Briana Sutton

22 • The Pine Curtain

Briana Sutton has beenpainting since she was in high school. She said her love for art was influneced by her mother.

She said she uses a lot of water colors and modeling clay as materials for her work. She also builds her own frames for her paintings out of wood.

“My paintings are all organic but not only by the supplies that I use,” she said.

“They are all based off of nature and the way things connect. it’s like the feeling that you get when you see a really beautiful sunset and the the images that you capture when you see the trees moving in the wind.”

Sutton also makes hair accessories and pottery as a side business.

A lot of her work can be found on her website: www.brianasutton.com.

Oct. 17, 2011 • 23

Art + Life

Works By: Briana Sutton

Art + Life

Bette Barron is currently in the process of making her own paper.

She said she useso plants, flowers, moss and grass to develop small sheets of various textures that she hopes to one day put back together in the form of usuable paper.

“I’m working on a book that documents that different processes and materials that I use,’ she said. “I used to use cotton but then I thought, ‘why am I using paper to make paper.’”

Works By: Bette Barron Cyr. 24 • The Pine Curtain

Art + Life Oct. 17, 2011 • 25

Art + Life

Abhidnya Ghuge uses paper plates as the primary material for her collection, “Transformation.”

She said paper plates represent human life and it’s purposee.

“In a sense, the paper plates are a visible expression of the transformation in my life; these are in essence the moments spent in contemplation about the transformations within my relationships and those around me,” she said. “I want to prove that something so simple as a paper plate can be transformed into something precious.”

Her collection has featured pieces such as hanging art and abstracted wedding dresses.

She said the relationship between Eastern and Western cultures are what inspire her the most.

More of her work can be seen on her website: www.abhidnyaghuge.com.

26 • The Pine Curtain

Oct. 17, 2011 • 27

Art + Life

Works By: Abhidnyaghuge ghuge

Art + Life

Paula McDermott uses recucable and organic materials to make fashion. She said she has not yet done readyto-wear but hopes to one day put on a fashion show of her work. Her materials include trash bags and leaves.

28 • The Pine Curtain

Works By: Paula McDermott

Art + Life Oct. 17, 2011 • 29