'Buffy' the Fire Slayer - experience of a bomber maintenance chief who volunteers to be a fire fighter - Brief Article

Airman, Sept, 2001 by Master Sgt. Tim Barela

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Take a B-52 "Buff" bomber maintenance crew chief by day and turn him into a firefighter by night, and you may have the makings for a new TV series.

OK, while "Buffy the Fire Slayer" may never rival FOX episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the people of Bossier City, La., are happy to a have a real-life version of the former (uh, minus the corny title).

Tech. Sgt. Jim Whittington works on the B-52 in the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale. And he moonlights as the assistant fire chief of Bossier-Parish Fire District One, a Louisiana volunteer fire department servicing 110 square miles and 18000 residents.

Whittington has volunteered for the past eight years and has responded to more than 650 emergencies. Moonlighting isn't always easy, either.

"One time we responded to an auto shop fire," he said. "There were lots of hazardous chemicals. Oxygen and fuel cans were blowing up all around us. Three cars were on fire. It took four hours and 30 firemen to contain it. I was exhausted after working the hose with all that equipment on. I left at 5:30 a.m., went home, showered, dressed and went to work. It makes for a long day, but it's worth it."

Then there's dealing with loss of life.

"People die and sometimes there's nothing you can do," he said. "That's just a cold reality of this job. For instance, one time a 50-car freight train going nearly 40 mph hit an 18-wheeler that was hauling logs. The force ejected the truck driver about a half mile down the road, killing him."

But for the father of three, watching kids die is the toughest.

"In one incident, two teenage brothers had been playing with a gun. One brother accidentally shot the other in the head, killing him. As you'd expect, their dad took it hard. As a parent, that's tough to see."

Not all is gloom and doom, though. Whittington has saved two children's lives. He performed the Heimlich maneuver on a 3-year-old boy who was choking on a grape. He also saved a 2-year-old boy from drowning after pulling him from the bottom of a pool.

Additionally, he's performed CPR on more than 100 people.

"Giving people a second chance at life is the most rewarding," said Whittington, who is a nationally certified emergency medical technician.

He earned "Officer of the Year" for his fire department last year. He also garnered a 2000 Government Employee Insurance Co. Military Service Award and is authorized to wear the Air Force Recognition Ribbon.

The award recognized Whittington for helping the Bossier-Parish fire department earn a Class 4 rating, the highest rating for a volunteer fire department.

Whittington says it's all worth the sacrifices he makes while still holding down his full-time Job.

"Firefighting is addictive," he said. "I'd feel guilty if I quit. I'd hear the sirens go off, and I'd have to know what's going on -- if somebody desperately needed my assistance. It's part of who I am."