To the editor:

My husband and I lived in a condo complex in the early ’90s. Concerned about fire hazards, I called the fire department about how to proceed in case a fire started below our third-floor walk-up. Jim McSwain answered. Even though the stairway to our unit was wooden, he advised us not to install a hanging ladder at a window, but to wait for firefighters to get us out, should the need arise.

A few days later, fire broke out a couple of buildings away. My husband and I walked safely down the stairs, leaving our apartment unlocked in case firefighters needed access. We then stood in the parking lot with other residents, at some distance from the fire.

Soon Chief McSwain came down the row of people, calling our names. When we identified ourselves, he said that he had checked every room of our apartment to be sure we were OK, leaving an assistant temporarily in charge of dispatching. Not only had he remembered our names; he had also remembered our apartment number. He then invited us to sit in his vehicle while he continued to supervise operations, until the fire was out.

This was not your run-of-the-mill fire chief.

Peggy French,
Lawrence