Thank you to all of our heroes

Where do we start?
Elsewhere in the pages of this issue of the Chronicle, you will read the stories of some of those involved in fighting and dealing with the Qury Fire, which, thankfully, is now just some smoldering fuel southeast of town. Included in those stories are the thoughts of some firefighters who battled the blaze. And of course, you will also see the large thank you for each and every entity that fought the fire. For you, we are truly grateful.
At a time like this, we truly remember just how lucky we are to have the caliber of first responders we have in this area. The initial attack on the fire was carried out almost exclusively by local first responders, including our various state, national and local firefighters, as well as the Custer County Sheriff’s office, Custer County Search and Rescue, and others. It’s hard to try to name them all, because we are always afraid we are going to leave someone out. But on the thank you, we believe we were able to name them all. Even that took the assistance of first responders, as Custer County Emergency Management and U.S. Forest Service public information officers gave us an assist with obtaining a list.
It takes a special kind of person to enter this kind of fray, to put your life on the line for people you do not know. Sure, our initial responders are part of the community, but before long firefighters from near and far were in Custer, working hard to save property. The stand in front of the fire and say “you’re not getting this house.” Words are hard to find for people who will do that. So, all we can say is thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And while all the homes weren’t saved, things could have been so much worse. The fact that a 9,000-acre fire took off so close to town, where there are so many homes, and only burned structures on 10 properties is truly amazing. But it’s not a miracle. It’s the result of hard work by firefighters who are true professionals. They know what they are doing, and they get it done. What an operation.
Custer, give yourselves a pat on the back while you’re at it. The way this community rallied around those who were displaced and the first responders who answered the call brings tears to our eyes. People were lining up asking how they could help. There were rooms offered, food offered, beer offered—you name it. It makes your heart nearly burst with pride to be a part of this community to see the way it responds to tragedy. If there was any doubt how tight-knit of a community this is, it was certainly answered with the reaction to the fire.
We are family. If the Qury Fire messed with one of us, it messed with all of us.
So, we say it again. WE say it a hundred times over: thank you to the firefighters, and all first responders who answered the call in our time of need. You are truly heroes. We know you will do it again in a moment’s notice. Here’s to hoping we get some precipitation and it’s not necessary—like a lot of precipitation.
By the way, if you weren’t convinced we need to pass the fire fund opt-out before—how about now?