FIRE FIGHTING IS A FAMILY TRADITION FOR ME AND MY FAMILY; I STILL REMEMBER SLIDING DOWN A FIRE POLE WHENEVER I WAS A SMALL CHILD THINKING HOW FUN AND GREAT THIS WOULD BE IF I BECAME A FIREFIGHTER; WELL, I AM A 4TH GENERATION FIREFIGHTER AND IF YOU KNOW ME YOU KNOW THAT I GET A RUSH EVERY-TIME WE HAVE A FIRE AND IT FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME ALL OVER AGAIN. I HAVE BEEN AROUND FIRE DEPARTMENTS MY WHOLE LIFE AND I KNOW THAT GOD HAS PUT ME IN MY PLACE OF SERVICE. MY GREAT GRANDFATHER ELBERT ” IKE” CLOWER WAS A COMBINATION PUBLIC SERVANT BY THIS I MEAN HE SERVED AS ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF FOR THE MONROE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE 1900′S AND HE WAS ALSO A FIREFIGHTER FOR THE MONROE FIRE DEPARTMENT UNTIL 1933 WHERE HE RECEIVED LIFE THREATENING BURNS DURING A STRUCTURE FIRE IN WHICH RESULTED IN HIS RETIREMENT. HE DIED SOME YEARS LATER DUE TO HEART AND LUNG PROBLEMS. HIS SON MY GRANDFATHER JAMES KENNEDY “SMOKEY” CLOWER STARTED THE MONROE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON DECEMBER 15TH 1946 AND RETIRED WITH 35 YEARS 6 MONTHS AND 16 DAYS OF SERVICE. MY GRANDFATHER RETIRED AS DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF WITH MANY YEARS OF SERVICE AND HE ALSO HAD TO RETIRE DUE TO HEART AND LUNG PROBLEMS. AS YOU MAY SEE THAT HIS NICKNAME WAS “SMOKEY” AND FOR YEARS I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY HE WAS GIVEN THAT NAME AND I WAS TOLD BY A LOT OF THE OLD TIMERS AT THE MONROE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND THAT COULD EAT SMOKE LIKE HE COULD AND BACK THEN IF YOU WORE AN AIR PACK YOU WERE CONSIDERED A WIMP OR NOT A REAL FIREFIGHTER. MY DAD VERNON J. FORD WAS ALSO A MONROE FIREFIGHTER AND HE WAS HIRED AFTER HE RETURNED FROM THE MARINE CORP DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. HE WAS HIRED IN 1969 AND HE SERVED UNTIL 1999 AS A CAPTAIN. HE ALSO HAD TO RETIRE DUE TO HEART AND LUNG PROBLEMS. MY DAD WAS VERY RESPECTED AT THE MONROE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND EVERYONE KNEW THAT HE MEANT BUSINESS WHENEVER THAT BELL WENT OFF AND IF YOU WEREN’T SERIOUS OR PROUD OF WHAT YOU WERE DOING AS A FIREFIGHTER THEN HE WOULD GIVE YOU A REALITY CHECK AND LET YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS JOB IS. I REMEMBER MY DAD WAS INJURED BACK IN 1976 AND THE DOCTORS SAID THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF SURVIVAL AND I REMEMBER ASKING GOD WHY WAS MY DAD GOING TO DIE AND YEARS LATER I REALIZED WHAT ALL FIREFIGHTERS DO IS VERY DANGEROUS AND RISKY AND THE LOVE OF HELPING PEOPLE IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO. I THANK GOD FOR LETTING ME KEEP MY DAD AND LETTING HIM RETURN TO SOMETHING THAT HE WAS GOOD AT AND LOVED. AS YOU CAN SEE THESE MEN HAVE GREATLY INFLUENCED ME AND ENCOURAGED ME TO BECOME WHAT I AM TODAY AND WITHOUT MY DAD AND MY GRANDFATHER AND OF COURSE GOD I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHERE I WOULD BE IF I DIDN’T FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS. A FAMILY THAT EATS AND BREATHES FIRE FIGHTING REALLY MADE ME CONSIDER MY CAREER AND TO KEEP UP THIS FINE TRADITION AND TO DO SOMETHING THAT I LOVE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. I STARTED AS A VOLUNTEER FOR THE ROCKY BRANCH VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT BACK WHENEVER I WAS IN HIGH JUNIOR HIGH. MY DAD STARTED THIS DEPARTMENT AND THERE WERE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE THAT WERE ABLE TO HELP. MY DAD MY BROTHER (V.J.) AND A FEW OTHERS WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT WOULD RESPOND TO THESE FIRES. I REMEMBER THE FIRST HOUSE FIRE I MADE WAS IN 1983. I SERVED THERE UNTIL COLLEGE WITH ALMOST 7 YEARS SERVICE AND THEN I WAS EMPLOYED BY THE OUACHITA PARISH FIRE DEPARTMENT WHERE I WORKED MY WAY UP THE RANKS TO BE A TRAINING OFFICER I SERVED AT THE OUACHITA FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR 13 YEARS AND THEN THE DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY OPENED HERE IN LINCOLN PARISH AND I STILL BELIEVE GOD HAS SENT ME HERE FOR A REASON AND I CHERISH THE TIME I HAVE SPENT HERE. I WILL BE THE FIRE CHIEF HERE 3 YEARS IN OCTOBER AND I LOOK FORWARD TO RETIRING HERE IF POSSIBLE. I AM 36 YEARS OLD AND I PRAY THAT I CAN STAY HEALTHY ENOUGH TO MAKE AT LEAST 11-14 YEARS HERE BEFORE I HANG UP MY HELMET. MY SON KENNEDY IS VERY INTERESTED IN BECOMING A FIREFIGHTER AND FOR A CHILD AGE 5 HE KNOWS AS MUCH ABOUT OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND TRUCKS AND EQUIPMENT THAN I DO. I PRAY HE TAKES ANOTHER ROAD BUT I KNOW THAT WHENEVER I WAS HIS AGE ALL I COULD DO WAS THINK ABOUT BEING A FIREFIGHTER LIKE MY DAD, GRANDFATHER AND GREAT GRANDFATHER. I KNOW HE WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS WHENEVER IT COMES HIS TIME AND IF HE BECOMES A FIREFIGHTER THEN WE WILL HAVE A 5 GENERATION RUN AT IT AND IT WILL MAKE ME VERY PROUD AND AFRAID AT THE SAME TIME. I REMEMBER SEEING MY DAD AND GRANDFATHER YEARS AGO GO THROUGH A LOT OF HARD TIMES AND INJURIES AND I KNOW THAT THEY WERE DOING IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS BECAUSE THE MONEY WASN’T THAT GREAT FOR WHAT THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH AND NOW I LOOK AT THEM AND SEE WHAT STRESS IT HAS PUT ON THEIR BODIES AND I KNOW THAT BEING THE BEST AT WHAT YOU DO IS VERY IMPORTANT AND AS FOR MY DAD, GRANDFATHER, AND MY GREAT GRANDFATHER IT IS AN HONOR TO SAY THAT THESE GUYS ARE MY TRUE HEROES AND ONE OF MY BIGGEST SUPPORTERS. I HAVE MET A LOT OF FIRE FIGHTERS DURING MY CAREER VOLUNTEER, AND PAID AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY HAVING SO MANY FIREFIGHTERS HELPING ME ALONG MY JOURNEY AND I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHANGE A NUMBER OF TIMES AND TO GET TO BE A PART OF IT IS VERY HUMBLING TO ME. IN CLOSING IF YOU HAVE READ ALL OF THIS LETTER PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR ALL FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE, MILITARY,AND E.M.S. PERSONAL AND THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY DO ON A DAILY BASIS BECAUSE FOR YEARS WE THOUGHT WE THAT THE PUBLIC THOUGHT THAT ALL WE DO IS PLAY CARD AND BASKETBALL BUT AFTER 911 THINGS CHANGED SO KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS AND REMEMBER WE ARE THERE WHENEVER YOU NEED US SO REMEMBER BE SAFE AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU!!
DENNIS FORD
FIRE CHIEF
L.P.F.D.
