Those who keep us safe: Timothy Wood

Timothy Wood was born to be a firefighter. Like his father before him, Wood has volunteered his time to serve Warren County. For his service, we are pleased to feature him in this edition of Those who keep us safe.

A child’s dream

Timothy Wood was no stranger to firefighting from day one. His father, Frank Wood, was not only a firefighter but helped originate the department Timothy currently serves at.

“It’s something I loved to do even when I was a kid,” said Wood. “I loved to learn about firefighting. I grew up with the fire department. My dad helped originate Fisher Ferry back in 1984.”

Wood’s fascination and attending training with his father left no doubt in his mind, that firefighting was in his future.

Serving the community

Wood started out before the addition of the junior program, helping with brush fires. After the establishment of the junior program, Wood was among the first to join.

His dedication and training served him and a homeowner well last week after an emergency call alerted him to a nearby danger on Tower Drive.

“On Saturday, around 7:25 a.m., I got woke up to a fire call,” said Wood. “I listened to the radio. We had people en route with trucks, so I went straight to the scene.”

Wood stated the call was to a location about a mile and a half from his home. The call indicated smoke was visible from the structure.

Upon arriving at the scene, Wood stated the homeowner and her daughter indicated the fire was in the attic.

A firefighter’s courage

Wood stated that one of the most difficult things about the job is going into the interior of the structure.

“If you are not used to it, a lot of people panic. That’s just something you have to learn, to keep yourself calm,” said Wood.

“I went upstairs and started seeing where the flames were coming out from around a heater vent,” said Wood. “I went back downstairs, grabbed a ladder, a mini sledgehammer and a fire extinguisher from out of my truck and I went upstairs, knocked the ceiling out and put it out with the fire extinguisher.”

Other units from Fisher Ferry and Culkin quickly arrived behind Wood.

Firefighters cleared the area around the vent. The home survived with minor damage.

No “I” in TEAM

Wood stated that the job wouldn’t be possible without those who you can depend on.

“It’s never about a single person, it’s always teamwork and having a great team behind you makes things so much easier,” said Wood.

Wood is part of a special team that does not provide their service for glory or money. Each member of his team are dedicated volunteers who go above and beyond to serve the community.

“I just love helping the community any way I can,” said Wood. “If you are interested in pursuing, that is one thing the community will always need, is firefighters.”