Beth Caldwell is Chaumette’s Director of Events and volunteers for a few different organizations that support local law enforcement, fire personnel, and EMS/paramedics/first responders. As a member of the Ladies Auxiliary for the Ste. Genevieve Volunteer Fire Department, she assists on large fire calls with making sure firefighters are taking proper rest breaks, drinking enough water, taking vital signs, etc. Her husband is a firefighter for the Ste. Genevieve and Mapaville Departments, and works as an EMT in the St. Louis area.

I recently attended an open house at the Ste. Genevieve Fire Department. This event marked ten years since the new firehouse opened. To commemorate the opening of the firehouse in 2006, Chaumette created a special wine label.

When I found out that the Chief, Ken Steiger, was planning an open house in which all current and former firefighters and their families would be invited, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for them. Chaumette donated 20 cases of bottled water for fire department training sessions and for use during fire calls. Two cases of wine were also donated and were used as gifts for some of the attendees. It was great to see all of these families get together and tell stories, visit, and laugh with each other.

With my husband being on the department, I see first hand how much hard work goes into becoming a firefighter. Even as a volunteer, there are many, many long, hard hours of training involved. Once a month, the entire department participates in some kind of a training session (varies every month). Several times a year, the whole department goes on “pre-plans” to businesses in town to best see how to fight a fire if it were to ever happen there. Once a week, several of the members get together for a maintenance night at the firehouse – they have skilled mechanics and actually do much of the work themselves!

Then there’s out of town training sessions for a large variety of topics, winter fire school, summer fire school, Firefighter I and II courses, HAZMAT training, and on and on and on…..it’s a very big commitment! And after all that training – these guys and gals are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for calls. They get up in the middle of the night and rush out of the house. I’ll be out eating dinner at a restaurant with my husband and he’ll have to take the car and go. (It’s become a joke at the department that we dine out most often at the restaurant that’s closest to the firehouse, just in case there’s a call.)

I am honored to be involved in an organization such as the Ste. Genevieve Volunteer Fire Department. I hope you have the opportunity to meet some of these wonderful men and women someday!!