Article August 19, 2002 Issue

Fighting fires with God

Racing ahead of God's direction, a firefighter learns to stop and listen for the "still, small voice" that leads to safety in dangerous situations.

By David Semnacher

In The Fall of 1993 , our engine company responded to a mutual aid fire call in the Malibu Hills area in California. As we approached the site, the wind was blowing extremely hard. Mass confusion reigned as people, animals, and cars were all being evacuated. Amidst the thick smoke that covered the area, we could see orange flames leaping out.

Despite the confusion and threat of fire, I took a moment to pray and to see that no matter what, everything was under God's control, including me. As long as I trusted in God to help me, I knew I would be able to do whatever was required of me. As we approached the staging area, the command post ordered our task force of engine companies to respond immediately to a housing tract on the top of the ridge, which was about to be consumed by fire. As we moved up the winding, single-lane road, the dense smoke made visibility terrible. This made our progress very slow.

Once up on the ridge, we received our assignment, which was to protect a large house. As we drove up the driveway, the scene before us was horrendous: we could see eucalyptus trees exploding in the distance, 75 mph winds blowing debris everywhere, heavy smoke smothering the area, and fire rushing up toward the large house. The driver put our fire engine in position so we could lay out our hose lines to attack the fire and wet down the house before the fire came over the ridge.