We are all familiar with the amazing sacrifices members of Red Bank’s volunteer fire department make to serve the community. And it’s not hard to understand how the sacrifices extend to members of their families when their loved one is called away to respond to a call at an inopportune time.
But we hadn’t really thought of their pets. That is, until we saw Firefighter Jim Erving walking his dog, Dusty, Monday morning just a half block from the scene of a terrible fire at 39 Oakland Street.
The fire had been largely extinguished at that point and we were leaving the scene. Erving was soaked with water from the hoses and covered in soot from fighting the flames. But before he went home and cleaned up, another type of duty was calling.
Turns out, Dusty had been waiting patiently in the car while Erving and his fellow firefighters battled the blaze. See, when the alarm goes off, firefighters head to the scene whether they have their dog in the car or not. Dusty would have to wait until the fire was out. He finally got his walk once the job was done.
Partyline photo and text by Brian Donohue
