By Payton Felix
Daily Gazette
ERIE, Ill. 鈥� The Erie Fire Protection District has expanded its ambulance services over the years and one volunteer has seen it all.
Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Jeff Wirth joined the department 48 years ago, on July 1, 1977, because 鈥渢hey were looking for people on the ambulance service鈥� that 鈥渉ad only been running since the fall of 1976,鈥� Wirth said.
鈥淲e have a good relationship between fire and ambulance. I enjoy doing it. That鈥檚 why I鈥檝e been there that long,鈥� Wirth said.
Wirth said the one call that sticks out to him the most is a house fire in 1979.
鈥淭he Bealer fire. They always called it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was a new EMT at that time, just graduated.鈥�
In December that year, a fire erupted at 1003 Main St. in Erie, killing four members of the Bealer family 鈥� Warren E. Bealer Jr, 38; Patricia Bealer, 36; Elizabeth Bealer, 13; and Bernard Bealer, 5. The fifth member, Warren Bealer III, 15, survived but was badly burned, according to newspaper records.
The parents, Warren and Patricia, were at a Christmas party set up at their work, came home and died in the fire, Wirth said.
Firefighters that day used four water hoses to fight the flames and had to crawl on the floor wearing respirators to find the Bealers because the house was filled with smoke, according to newspaper records.
Being on the frontlines of those types of tragedies, 鈥測ou 鈥榡ust suck it up, buttercup鈥� because somebody鈥檚 got to do it and you do it,鈥� Wirth said.
鈥淭he biggest thing that I always have a hard time with is dealing with kids, because I had kids at home. So I would go home and hug my kids after a call with a young child,鈥� he said.
Since then, the ambulance service has undergone a lot of changes.
鈥淲e went from basic to first aid to EMTs and then advanced EMTs and now we鈥檝e got paramedics,鈥� Wirth said.
Now the service has paid paramedics that are on 24 hours a day, Wirth said.
鈥淵ou can never go backwards, you always want to go up,鈥� he said of working to become a better service. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go from paramedic back down to a lower service.鈥�
People in Erie expect that higher level of service, Wirth said. 鈥淭hey all praise us for the kind of service that we give them.鈥�
To keep it up, they have to keep bringing on new people, he said.
The fire department side has 鈥渁 waiting list most of the time,鈥� and the ambulance service has 鈥済ood numbers. It鈥檚 just that we鈥檙e always looking for more,鈥� Wirth said.
For information, contact the Erie Fire Protection District at 309-659-2000.
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