Jason Goodner was recognized as the Seymour Fire Department “Fireman of the Year” at the Mahomet Chamber of Commerce Banquet Tuesday night.
Goodner, a firefighter and EMR, joined the Seymour Fire Department in 2012 after several local farmers had encouraged for years as they gathered at the Top Flight grain bins for coffee every morning. Goodner has been in charge of the grain bins for eight years.
In 2012, there were only 10 volunteer firefighters to service the Seymour department. With approximately 100 calls a year, and limited availability during work hours, many calls were left unanswered. Thirty-percent of the stations calls come in during the day.
Goodner’s employer, Top Flight, allows him to step away from his work duties during the day to respond when a call comes into the station. He responded to 68 calls last year.
“No two calls are ever the same,” he said. “You see a little bit of everything. People who are unresponsive and people who have no problems at all; they are just lonely. You can go into a burning building, cut someone out of a car or save someone’s life with CPR. When the buzzer goes off, you never know what you’re going to get.”
Seymour firemen are required to attend one training session, one EMS training and a station meeting each month.
“You have to be prepared,” he said. “The training comes into play. If you know who is coming (to a site), you’ll know what to expect when they get there. You’ll know what they are good at, and that helps.”
Not every firefighter will show up on every call.
As a volunteer firefighter, Goodner had no idea what he was getting into when he signed-up, but he has learned about tools, maintenance and the medical aspect through training and watching leaders or veteran firefighters on-site.
The Seymour Fire Department recently added five more volunteer firefighters. Three are EMTs.
“I think it’s really neat that people in our community are willing to go get some extra training to help out in a time of need,” he said.
Half of the volunteers within the department are farmers. Goodner said he enjoys the camaraderie as they gather at the grain bin in the morning. At the beginning of each day, the group goes over daily schedules, making sure to know who is around in case something goes awry.
Goodner said his wife and five kids, ages 11 to 18 mo., are supportive of his decision to become a firefighter.
