It’s been said a multitude of times, but it still rings true over and over again: It sure is nice to live in a small town where people care about each other. MONDAY I visited with Fire Chief Don Leapheart to express our thanks for his employees, and the on-call Gas Department employee, responding quickly and putting our minds at ease.
Last Sunday afternoon we watched our granddaughters play volleyball in a recreation league. When we returned home and opened the back door, we noticed a peculiar smell, one we associated with gas.
After a bit of discussion, we decided to put our uneasiness to rest.
I rang up the fire department and explained to firefighter Ron Ballard our concerns.
“We’ll be there in two minutes,” he said. Ballard and another firefighter didn’t miss the mark by more than a few seconds. Fighting fires and responding to ambulance calls make for punctuality.
They asked what appliances we had that were gas-fired, and checked both, a furnace and water heater, in the basement. They also nosed around upstairs.
To ensure our safety, the firefighters said they also had asked an Iola Gas Department employee to pick up the city’s super sniffer and come to take a smell.
After another thorough inspection with the more sensitive instrument, our home was declared free of gas or anything else that might threaten our safety.
That gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling. We didn’t want to go to bed Sunday night and not wake up Monday morning.
“That’s what we’re here for,” Leapheart said. “We want to help in any way we can, and make sure people are safe. We don’t care when we get called or how long it takes, the public’s safety is our first and only concern.”
What a relief.
— Bob Johnson
Small town living has its perks
