Remember Woodbine Fire Chief Rick Fore by supporting volunteer fire departments

For the last 30 plus years, it seems like nearly every time I went to cover a wreck or a fire in northern Whitley County, Woodbine Fire Chief Rick Fore was there directing firefighters about how to extricate someone trapped in a mangled vehicle or telling firefighters where to go to help extinguish a burning building.

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

Whether it was day or night, it didn’t really matter. Rick was a pretty much a constant. Seldom did I ever go cover a call that Woodbine was responding to where Rick wasn’t there.

This is especially significant when you consider that, like all of our volunteer firefighters, he didn’t get paid a penny to do it. Our volunteer firefighters are something that, by and large, the general public takes for granted.

Volunteers, like Rick did for so many years, take time off away from work and family to go help others in their time of need. They images of mangled vehicles and burned bodies get seared into their brains, but they seldom complain.

Rick was involved in firefighting for pretty much his whole adult life. He first became a firefighter in 1972, which to offer some perspective, is the year after I was born.

I have been talking to and interviewing Rick for pretty much my entire journalism career as he became Woodbine Fire Chief in 1994, which is the year after I started.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I interviewed Rick at the scene of a fire or at a car crash or when he was helping with a ground search for a missing person, and he always helped me with anything that he could.

Many times I called him up to interview him the morning after he was up most of the night battling a blaze, and he was still always helpful although sometimes still half asleep on some of the occasions.

Besides serving as a firefighter, Rick also served as a special deputy for the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department from 2001-2008 serving as a fire investigator. In addition, he was a member of the Whitley County 911 Board of Directors.

Whitley County lost a dedicated public servant last week with the passing of Rick on Friday. My condolences go out to his family, friends and his fire department family.

There will only ever be one Rick Fore, but there will be other firefighters at Woodbine Volunteer Fire Department and other chiefs at Woodbine Volunteer Fire Department, which is something that I know Rick would want.

He would want the work to continue. He would want his fellow firefighters to continue helping people on some of their worst days. He would want current and future firefighters to surpass the job that he did.

Rick will be buried on the day that this column will appear in the printed edition of the News Journal.

For those, who would like to honor Rick, I would propose stopping and giving the next time you see firefighters out at roadblock trying to raise money so they can continue working for free to help you during some of your worst times.

Better yet, reach out to your local fire volunteer fire department and make a donation without them having to ask for it, or find out how you yourself can volunteer.

For complete obituary information, see page *** in this week’s edition of the News Journal.