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Battling the inner blaze Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Firefighter Gelasio Ramirez enjoys a Popsicle Thursday while waiting for dinner at the Quartz Fire camp at Cantrall-Buckley Park. A Ruch couple, Debbie and Clyde Hicks, have given firefighters an estimated 7,000 frozen treats, many donated by area grocers. An area minister is also at the camp this week giving away Sno-Cones. By JILL BRISKEY RUCH - Eating an ice-cream sandwich or a frozen treat is usually as easy as opening the kitchen freezer or a taking a quick trip to the corner market. But such ice-cold goodies have been a forgotten luxury for the 1,869 men and women who are stationed at Cantrall-Buckley Park to fight the Quartz Fire. That all changed this week when Debbie and Clyde Hicks of Ruch arrived at camp with a cart full of free Popsicles and ice cream snacks. "We were a hit the first day we came," Debbie Hicks said. "They can't believe we're doing this." The couple, whose home along Yates Creek was threatened by the fire, hands out the snacks daily to firefighters as they stand in line for dinner - often an hour-long wait. The Hickses also chase down workers as they leave camp to pass along a frozen treat. "It's the first thing we look for when we come in," said firefighter Tom Matthews of Lowell, Mass. "They're pretty good." Brian Cooper, a firefighter from Cave Junction, agrees. "More than anything, it's nice to know people out there care," Cooper said around a bite of his ice cream sandwich. "Plus, it tastes good." The Hickses, who began giving away ice cream treats to children and adults in the community this summer, will concentrate on firefighters instead as long as the fire burns. They've given an estimated 7,000 treats to firefighters so far. "We just feel like these guys are ours. They're our family," Debbie Hicks said. The Hickses bought the first batch of ice cream themselves and then solicited help from grocers. Fred Meyer, Safeway and Albertson's have donated ice-cream treats. Clyde Hicks said Winco has also signed on. The couple is asking other local grocers to donate ice cream for the firefighters. They have also begun to collect toiletries for the firefighters, items such as shampoo, lotion or deodorant. Anybody interested can contact the Hickses at 899-1669. "This is a good cause; they're hard workers," Clyde Hicks said. "This could go on for another two or three weeks or, God forbid, longer. We want to be here until it's over." Mike Milhollin, a Rogue Valley Fellowship pastor who usually gives away free Sno-Cones in Medford, also is catering to the firefighters this week. Milhollin said he's given away about 2,500 Sno-Cones since Tuesday. He plans to take a break over the weekend and return next week. "We're just grateful to give back," Milhollin said. "It's been pretty cool that way." Chris Baker, a firefighter with Grayback Forestry Inc. in Seattle, is amazed by the community's support, also demonstrated with signs posted along the roadways stating, "we're praying for you" and "hang in there." "It's pretty cool and kind of humbling," he said. "They don't need to thank us; we want to thank them." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.