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I arrived at Ashland Fire & Rescue at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 2. Capt. Kelly Burns (with the AF&R for 20 years) introduced me to Battalion Chief David Shepherd (also with the AF&R for 20 years). Burns told me that there are eight firefighters on duty at any given time. They work two days on and four days off, in three shifts. There are two engines and one rescue vehicle ready at all times to respond to calls. AF&R responds to every call within Ashland. Their goal is get out quickly and back as soon as possible in order to be ready for another emergency. Emergency calls automatically go to a central routing station in Central Point and are then routed to the appropriate location near the scene. Every month AF&R does a major inspection of each vehicle. I rode along with the crew on Unit No. 8801 to the city Public Works yard for inspection, which included the engine, the pump, the hoses, the instruments etc. I was given a heavy jacket and helmet to try on in the event we had to attend an emergency. They placed ear phones on my head so I could hear what was being said and any calls that might come in. If a fire was called in, they would have to leave to attend the fire. The only call that came through was an elderly person who fell down and couldn’t get up. For me, it was a rather dull day. For the firemen, it was probably a relief. The captain told me 85 percent of the calls that come in are medical and 15 percent are for fires. While our truck was being serviced by Robert Trask, an engineer and paramedic, and Tim Hegdahl, a firefighter and paramedic, Capt. Burns walked me over to a Community Emergency Response Team class. CERT Coordinator Terri Eubanks told me these classes are provided twice a year, with approximately 20 hours of training covering how to handle fires, earthquakes and floods. If students decide to become volunteers, they are given a full protective kit and are called when an emergency occurs. The fire station was not unlike a home. It was spotless, with a huge kitchen with three refrigerators, one for each shift. Battalion Chief David Shepherd shares a space with two other Battalion Chiefs. Shepherd is the highest level shift supervisor in charge of operations for the day. He only goes out on significant calls, controls the scene, writes the reports, and is in charge of staffing. He told me that a candidate is required to have at least two years of college to meet the minimum requirements, with another year to get certified. On Wednesday, May 6, I met with AF&R Division Chief/Fire Marshal Margueritte Hickman and Chris Chambers, AF&R forest division chief. They told me that they have 27 firefighters supported by seven administrative staff members. In the summer they add one seasonal coordinator. There has been a big push to make communities “fire-wise.” There are 22 fire-wise “communities” in Ashland at present with three more ready to go. They are promoting a new program called “Ready Set Go.” “Ready” tells residents how they can get ready in case of a major fire or disaster. “Set” is being ready at a moment’s notice. And “Go” means when AF&R says go, you go. Watch for an advertising campaign in June. You will have the opportunity to sign up for automatic notification in the event of a major disaster. It’s important to take responsibility for yourself in any event, as AF&R will be busy with the disaster. AF&R has many public educational functions, including talking to children about fire prevention, the CERT program, an SOU residence program where they discuss safety issues, a senior program where they go out to the retirement homes and talk about the hazards of falling and how to prevent falls, a child car seat safety program, fire prevention program for businesses and fire alarm reviews of new and existing buildings. Barbara Keen has lived in Ashland 13 years. Her previous writing experience includes short story and memoir writing.