Waste Watch examines rural fire department

JEFFERSON COUNTY - by Bill Leger - In our Waste Watch segment a viewer raised a question about the Cheek Volunteer Fire Department.The person writes: "What's going on with the Cheek Fire Department? They've got state grants, donations, new equipment and a new fire station but they are still not fighting fires. Another volunteer fire department answers their calls. It seems like a waste of public money."The viewer is right. The Cheek Volunteer Fire Department has not answered any calls in years-some say more than ten years.All of the 911 calls go to the Labelle-Fannett Volunteer Fire Department.But the chief of the Cheek station told us today that's about to change. "It's been years and years despite the hurricanes since you've made a call."We brought the concerns to Fire Chief Ken Duhon who met with us today at the new fire station on Kidd Road in Cheek."I can tell you that people just don't understand," said Duhon. "When you start from a slab, no volunteers, to recruit volunteers, build a station, get equipment, train volunteers, it takes a long time. You don't want someone responding to your house fire and they don't know how to put it out."The Cheek Volunteer Fire Department started in 1973, but it became inactive about ten years ago. This is what the building looked like after Hurricane Rita.. "Hurricane Rita took the building.. Hurricane Ike took the equipment."It was after Ike that Duhon came on board. He had retired from the sheriff's department with 25 years of service."Is this how you planned to spend your retirement? "Absolutely not." But Duhon agreed to take on the challenge.A 2009 grant from the Bush-Clinton Coastal Recovery Fund provided the department with 00,000. In addition to that, documents provided to KFDM by the Texas Forest Service show almost 50,000 in grants from that agency.That approximate 50,000 has led to a new station, built by Cheek volunteers, new equipment and a new fire truck that as of May Duhon says is fully equipped."It's a 2012 tanker with a water pump.. We can fight fires with this truck."But the question remains, when?."With God's blessing, next month we'll be responding. We're almost there."Chief Duhon called the Labelle-Fannett Volunteer Fire Department and its chief, Charles Sonnier, a godsend.He said that department has answered emergency calls for the Cheek community for years, and has agreed to back up Cheek on calls when it's back in service,which if Duhon is right, will be next month. We'll let you know.If you have a Waste Watch tip, email us at [email protected].