Living 50 Plus 2021

Fightin’
Fires
After 50
By: Tyler Meister
HHJ Staff Writer
loves its firefighters. They are one
of the exclusive groups in this country that
​America
we call heroes. This is made apparent in
our everyday life, through films like 2017’s “Only
the Brave” and 2004’s “Ladder 49” and through a
number of popular television shows like “Station
19” and “Third Watch.” Every child who’s ever
dressed up for Halloween as a firefighter… heck,
every time you’ve rounded up to the nearest dollar
at your local Firehouse ® when you bought your
sub, it’s a reminder that in America, thinking of
firefighters as heroes is part of our culture, and
rightfully so.
One perspective we may not think of often, though,
is of the firefighter who’s been at it awhile. One that
has been wizened by calls they’ve answered, the
people they’ve helped, and the things they have
seen. Absolutely, they’re heroes too. But they are
also teachers.
Lieutenant Billy Gordon is 59 years old, and has
been with the Perry Fire Department since 2000 as
a full time firefighter. He began, however, in 1982 as
a volunteer firefighter. With nearly 40 years in the
field, needless to say, he brings a wealth of experience
to the table.
A lot has changed over the course of Gordon’s four
decades of service. “Things were simpler back
then,” he remarked. “The destruction of homes
was different. You didn’t have the stress you do
now, because homes are so much easier to ignite.
They go up so much quicker, so you have a stress
factor there due to the time frame. You have to
extinguish a flame so much faster than you did
for houses built in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. Houses,
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