It is hard to believe that anyone would berate a group ofindividuals who were risking their lives to protect the peopledoing the screaming. It is also hard to believe that a volunteerfireman would have to fear for his safety by those individuals andcall in law enforcement for protection.

But, that is what happened on Wednesday at a house fire inBrignall. As volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene of a homefully-engulfed in flames, instead of helping the understaffedfirefighters, a group of almost 50 bystanders stood in the way andbelittled the firemen for not arriving sooner. For the record, thehomeowner was not part of the group.

Volunteer firefighters are just that — volunteers. They donatetheir time and energy out of love for their community and a senseof duty to their fellow man. They have daily jobs like the rest ofus and take personal time, often at their own expense, to protectthe residents of their community.

We thank these volunteers for their efforts and hard work. Weapologize for those who do not understand and expect the mostwithout giving — in the least.