Volunteer firefighters hold training, hours after deadly crash

(NEW TRENTON, Ind.) – Our area is blessed to have people who volunteer to help strangers when every second counts. 

We saw an example of that yesterday with the New Trenton Volunteer Fire Department. 

That department is entirely staffed by volunteers. 

Every one of them were awoken by their toner beeping at 3:30 in the morning Sunday. 

They each jumped out of bed and raced to the firehouse with those blue lights on their trucks.

They jumped out of their pickups, grabbed their turnout gear, hopped in a firetruck, and headed toward the scene. No questions asked. 

They arrived at the scene on U.S. 52 where they discovered a gruesome sight. 

A car with four women from Ohio had slammed head-on into a semi on U.S. 52. 

Two of the girls inside that car were already dead by the time they got there. 

Two others were fighting for their life and those New Trenton firefighters were among the first responders who helped get them to the hospital. 

Seeing moments like that is something those firefighters pray they never see again. 

But, they stayed on the scene until 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

After seven hours, the firetrucks returned to the firehouse and each firefighter jumped out, put up their turnout gear, and went home. 

Most incidents conclude like this for volunteer firefighters. There’s no heroic welcome home and most times they keep the things they saw to themselves. 

For the New Trenton Fire Department volunteer firefighters, the day at the firehouse wasn’t over. 

All those firefighters came back for a training session at the department a few hours later.

The department conducted training where firefighters practiced wearing a respirator to rescue someone from a tight space during a house fire.

They held that training just in case that need ever arises.