Barb Is Responder Of The Week

A 2005 Ulysses High School graduate, Eric Barb has wanted to be a firefighter from a young age.

"I have wanted to be a part of the fire department my whole life," Barb said. "My grandpa Glen Barb was the fire chief for the department here in Grant County for a long time. I grew up with it. I grew up with grandpa. I got to watch him drive fire trucks and go to fires. It always intrigued me. He was my inspiration."

Barb got his chance to realize his dream four years ago when he joined the ranks of the Grant County Fire Department, where he is currently an engineer.

"An engineer for the fire department makes sure the trucks are 100 percent ready to go for when we get called out or when the tones drop," Barb said. "That truck is ready to rock when it leaves the station, if not, it falls back on me. That is my responsibility if the truck doesn't have what it needs on it or isn't prepared for the call. Someone's life or home could be at stake and if we didn't have the right tools - it's an important part of the fire department."

Barb feels all the calls are tough ones.

"Everybody is equal - you want to do the best for each individual that you can," he said. "As far as big fires, the biggest one I've been on is the mutual aide one up by Lakin where it burned over 5,000 acres. That one got pretty sketchy. That was a very long day."

Tough comes with the territory.

"And if you're not willing to accept to be in that - it's not the right place for you," Barb said. "You have to have the right mindset going in to things. Each individual call I treat the same, whether it's a MVA (motor vehicle accident) or a fire - you are there to protect property, homes, life - life over limb  - whatever it takes."

The hardest part of being a firefighter is the "suddenness".

"The dropping everything and going when you have a family at home knowing you may not come home," Barb said. "But you have to put that in the back of your mind."

As for the most rewarding part of the job, it's the positive outcomes.

"Getting someone out of a vehicle accident and knowing you were there and got them to help," Barb said. "Putting out the fire east of town, we saved several homes."

Barb, like most of the firefighters in Grant County, do not get paid for what they do - it's strictly volunteer. They have "regular" jobs that they have to leave many times at a moment's notice.

Barb works for American Implement.

"My bosses Jaime and Ben are awesome, amazing people," Barb said. "They let me go when the tones drop. If we are short staffed or I'm the only one there - my job is my priority. But when I have had to go, it's usually they say, 'yes, see you later. Be safe'."

At this time Barb has no aspirations of moving up the ranks.

"I just want to be a firefighter - I'm content," he said. "If I did move up, I would be content there, too, if the cards fall that way then so be it if not I'm content where I'm at."

Barb said he and other firefighters share a special bond.

"It's a brotherhood," he said. "It's like having your brother right next to you. You're going to do everything you can to protect them. The camaraderie between all of us is next to none. It's a group of individuals who sacrifice some of the same things, and we drop everything and run when we are called."

Once a call comes in, firefighters quickly don their gear. According to Barb, when they have their "turnout gear" on, it weighs roughly 75 pounds. And on top of fighting the heat of a fire, their gear makes it even hotter.

"It does add more heat," he said. "That is a physical aspect of the job. It does get hot, but you deal with it. A full pack and turnout gear - you're looking at an extra 125 to 130 pounds."

Barb does not worry when it comes to his safety.

"We have a next to none safety officer - she looks after us and takes care of us," he said. "Chief makes calls on the ground if we go in or not."

As for his family, Barb makes sure to let them know everything is okay, so they don't worry either.

"They know it is a passion of mine to be a firefighter," he said. 

Like some of the other  local firefighters, Barb is also in the process of becoming an EMT.

"I have taken the class," he said. "I took the practical and passed. I took the written twice - it's difficult. You have to have a 950 to 1300 to pass. The first time I took the test I got an 897 and the second time I got a 905."

Barb said he plans to stay after it until he earns the certification.

In his "spare" time, Barb serves as Scout Master for Troop 186 - Boys and is on the committee for the girl troop and the pack.

Barb said to be a firefighter you have to have the right drive or passion.

"It takes a one of a kind person to be in the first responder world - it's no joke," he said. "It's all business and is something I don't take for granted. Calls can be really horrible and they can go south very quickly. If you don't have your head on your shoulders and you're not trained right - you become the hazard, you're not helping the hazard. It takes a special person, a special drive to do this at the drop of a hat."

Send your medical or law enforcement nominations for Responder of the Week to news2@ulyssesnews.com or call (620) 356-1201.