By Beth Hahn
Mountain View Telegraph via Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)
Copyright 2006 Albuquerque Journal
Edgewood and Stanley volunteer firefighters used to be rivals.
After more than a decade of hard work and cooperation between the volunteers and departments, however, the two Santa Fe County stations often answer calls and fight fires together.
On Monday evening, Edgewood firefighters and EMTs decided to surprise their Stanley counterparts with a barbecue and plaques to show their appreciation for the department.
“They help us so much,” said Edgewood volunteer firefighter and EMT Kathleen Weinbrecht. “They go above and beyond. Not only do they cover their own district, but they help with all of Edgewood, too.”
Weinbrecht was one of more than two dozen Edgewood personnel who drove to the Stanley station to cook green chile cheeseburgers and hot dogs for the Stanley volunteers.
When the firefighters had eaten their fill, Edgewood Chief Dennis Parks presented Stanley volunteers with a plaque demonstrating Edgewood’s appreciation for Stanley’s hard work and dedication in answering calls.
Parks also presented plaques to Jaime and June Morris, Kurt Lermuscaux and Stanley Chief Herman Sena for their dedication and willingness to go above and beyond what is asked of them as volunteers.
Without the Stanley volunteers, Weinbrecht said, Edgewood volunteers would have a hard time covering their district, and the southern portion of Santa Fe County.
“So basically, what we’re trying to do is recognize their contribution to southern Santa Fe County,” she explained.
Santa Fe County is split into four regions and each region has four fire districts — except for the southern region, which covers more than 500 square miles.
Stanley and Edgewood are the only two fire districts in the southern region, which means the two departments work together on almost every fire, vehicle crash and EMT call in either area, said Parks.
When Parks and Sena first started in the Santa Fe County Fire Department about 15 years ago, Parks said there was a lot of “turfing,” or territorial behavior between Stanley and Edgewood volunteers.
But gradually, through shared trainings and cooperation during fires or EMT calls, Parks said the two groups of volunteers became less standoffish and more friendly.