March 13--As a part of their 140th anniversary, the Edwardsville Fire Department is adopting a new slogan, "Lean on Me."
Taken from the 1972 Bill Withers song, "Lean on Me," the slogan is simple but has a very important message the department wishes to convey, said Fire Chief Rick Welle.
"Anybody who is a fan of old rock music should be familiar with the Bill Withers classic song, 'Lean on Me.' It's a classic song because, one, it's very clean and simple, but for a simple message it's also a very deep message. When you listen carefully to the words of the song you understand it's not just about having a shoulder for somebody to lean on, but also it's important for people to know there's somebody they can go to for help and what better description is there for the Edwardsville Fire Department. The role we have taken on, being there to help no matter what the situation is. We are a very service-oriented department within the city," Welle said.
Looking deeper into the lyrics, Welle points out at times that the people who are there for others sometimes need support themselves.
"Further, if you will again refer to the lyrics of the song, it talks about the fact there is going to be a day we are going to have to lean on you as well. We recognize that without the public there is no fire department. Without their support, financial support, and overall support we wouldn't exist. So those are two very important aspects of the whole 'Lean on Me' project," Welle said.
The spirit of the lyrics of the song and message are very appropriate to the work of the Edwardsville Fire Department.
During this campaign and given the 140th anniversary, Welle wants to make sure residents are aware of everything the department has to offer in addition to fire protection and emergency medical services.
"A lot of people know we do child car seat installations, but some of the things they may not know about is people can stop in and we will do blood pressure checks. We have people who are trained in the juvenile fire setter program through the state of Illinois, which is a way of heading off problems before they become significant problems in young people who have a fascination with fire and want to experiment with it," Welle said.
In the areas of safety and rescue, the department has members specially trained in tasks including vehicle extrication, top water rescue, rope training and, soon, confined space rescue training. The department also has arson investigators and individuals who specialize in fire prevention programs for groups.
Along with introducing this new campaign, the department is also looking back at its own history.
The department was formally created on Feb. 14, 1874, and 100 years later on March 9, 1974, the department began offering EMS in the city.
"That was a big mission taken on by this city and by the fire service in general. Roughly 70 percent of all fire agencies across the U.S. have some form of EMS services that they deliver. It was seen as a need in the community and the fire department answered that. Here we have paramedics who are second to none and I can say that unabashedly. They are excellent at what they do. They care about the people that they are providing treatment for," Welle said.
In addition to the services they provide, Welle also recognized their dedication to ensuring their training and education are the best it can be.
While Welle wants to remember the past and how the department and the work it does has changed, he also wants to look forward to the future.
The number of fire calls is decreased but new materials in construction mean the fire calls the department responds to present new challenges.
"The methods and materials used in construction today pose more of a threat then ever before. Synthetic materials regularly used burn hotter with more smoke. They burn more rapidly, they have different burn characteristics and the light weight construction fails often without warning," Welle said.
It's not just for home fires but with new materials and techniques being used in the building of cars.
In conjunction with the 140th anniversary and the "Lean on Me" campaign, there will be seasonal general safety tips along with historical information about the department.
"One of the goals of this initiative is to look back at where we've been over the past 140 years and how that got us to where we are today. Until you understand where you've been, you really don't know where you are heading. The program is to remind us, as public servants, that we are here for the citizens who put us here and we are as dependent on them as they are on us," Welle said.
Copyright 2014 - Edwardsville Intelligencer, Ill.
