Meet the official: For the love of firefighting

Paul “P.J.” Caldwell is the current Enos/Cardinal Cove VFD Chief, a position he has been working towards since he was just 18 years old. Caldwellandhiswife,Dawn, havebeentogetherforalmost 14 years and they have two sons, Paul and Christopher. When Caldwell is not out helping his community, he is helping rid homeowners of unwanted pests while working at Coleman Exterminating. He also likes to fish out at the cove when he can find a minute or two between fire calls and family time. The Madill Record sat down with Caldwell for a short Q&A for the residents of Marshall County to get to know him.

Q: Tell the readers about yourself and your family.

A: “I’m originally from Maysville, Oklahoma in Garvin County. Moved down here when I was 12. My dad was working in Maysville at the time and we moved downherewhenIwas12and grew up right here in Enos. I graduated from Kingston in ‘04. I stayed here for a little while, then when my oldest son was born me and my wife moved back to Maysville. We lived up there for about three years. We decided it just wasn’t home up there and moved back here. Been here ever since and he is 14 years old now.

Q: How did you and your wife, Dawn, meet?

A: “She actually worked with my older sister at the time. They both worked at a daycare over i n Durant. I was working in the oilfield. I was on my days off and I went and hung out with my sister, then she came over to hang out with my sister too and that is how we met. That was in 2006.”

Q: You spent some time working in the oilfields, tell our readers abou that.

A: “I started out right out of high, I went to work on a drilling rig for three years. Then went and worked on other rigs until I moved back down here.”

Q: What did you do after that and what do you currently do for a living?

A: “I’ve been working for Coleman Exterminating for about 6 years now. When I first moved back here I went right to work for Clint Williams Peanut company. I worked for them all the way up until they shut down. Then when they shut down I went to work for Oklahoma Steel and Wire. I worked there for almost three years then I went to CM Truck bed inKingston.Workedtherefor a couple of years. Then actually I got hurt on a fire call. We had a big fire down here. Me and another one of the firefighters both got out of the truck at the sametime and it was out in a sand field, we both hit a rut and rolled our ankles and I actually broke mine. I was crazy because we both did it at the sametime. I had to have a brace on my ankle and they wouldn’t let me come up there with that on because you had to have steel toes (boots). Then at church one day, the owner of ColemanExterminatingsaid if you are needing to do some work I have some work you can do. I worked with him a little bit part time at first. He then offered me a fulltime job and I have been with him ever since.”

Q:Howlonghaveyoubeen a volunteer at the Enos Cardinal CoveFireDepartment?

A: “I was still in high school and as soon as I turned 18 I joined the first time. Then I when I moved back I got back on.”

Q: A lot of the smaller communities in Marshall County are dependent on volunteersanditisimportant for the younger people in the community to be involved, just like you were. What prompted you to do so, to volunteer at 18 years old?

A: “When I was 13 years old we lived down here at Cardinal Hill and our house burnt down. And just seeing the response and dedication of the men I knew then I wanted to be them. The gentleman we just recently lost Dean Wise, he was one of my inspirations to be in the fire service. He was one of my mentors, I’ve known him since I was 13 years old.”

Q: Since the fire department runs on volunteers, those that do volunteer do not have much in the way of free time as this is what you do in your free time. What is that like as a volunteer?

A: “There have been numerous times we go out to eat dinner with the family and right as you are about to eat your food there is a call and you just get up and go.”

Q: What advice do you have for anyone that might be thinking about getting involved and volunteering at the community fire department.?

A: “It’s very important as volunteerfiredepartmentsas a whole they need the young volunteers that are dedicated and wanting to make a difference and wanting to help out. Yes, a lot of people do not see the training and the classeswehavetogothrough. It is quite a bit but in the end it is all worth it. You learn so much, you always learn something new. We have our meeting the first Tuesday of every month at 7 o’clock and it is an open meeting to anyone who wants to come. Anyone wants to come and set in and get to know some of the volunteers here.”

Q: As a volunteer fire department, how important is it for the residents in the community to pay the dues to the department?

A: “They are very important. Thatiswherewegotour operating money. We don’t really get any state help, we haven’t gotten any from federal or state in a while. The county tax money, it helps, but we don’t use that for our standard operating, so we have got to keep the lights on and the water flowing. We got to put fuel on the trucks, maintenance on the trucks and it takes a lot to just maintain our apparatuses. And we have had a few new firefighters join here recently and it takes roughly around $4,000 to completely outfit them in complete turn out gear. So the dues are a big thing.”

Q: As the communities of Enos and Cardinal Cove grow, how important is it for everyone to be more aware of fire and water safety.

A; “ We have a boat and we do help with rescue. You get new people down here and they think they can swim out to the islands and then they get half way out there and realize this is a bad idea. We have signs and the black flag we put up at Macon’s storage for burn bans. Just pay attention to the wind and the weather conditions. I know people will burn thinking it is ok because it rained the day before but there is something called fuel moisture. Which when the sun comes out but you have got ten to twenty mile per hour winds. that grass and small sticks dry out real quick and I have seen grass fires burning and it is raining. That wind is a big factor around here, you need to have a proper fire break around it.”

Q: Final question, where are the best fishing holes in the cove?

A: “ Cardinal is one of the best spots out there. And if you can get out there past the dock at Sanders Island, I’ve had some good luck out there. The point down here, you can get out to the river channel.”