LifeStory | Jeff

Jeff Bickers | “What’s your favorite job you ever had? Least favorite?”

“Nothing. Nothing. Firefighter was it. Okay, well, go back a long time. Well, we lived in Vermillion, my dad joined the fire department there as a volunteer. Well, I was just a young. And, every once in a while, I'd go out on a call with my dad and I'd watch him, and he taught me the ropes. And then as I grew older and he, we moved to Sheffield Lake, he’s a volunteer firefighter there. And I think that might have helped me get my job. Anyhow, I would watch dad, all like that, that, you know what? This is a life saving job, this could be something I could get into. So I said, we were out bowling one Saturday night and some of my buddies, there were people, were firefighters, they said, we’re having a test, take it. I said, I ain’t gonna be able to pass that test. Take it. So I took it. And I passed it. So then, went in before the Chief, for an interview and he says, What makes you think you’d be a good fireman? And I said, I know everything my dad taught me. And the Chief said, who’s your dad? I said, Bickers and everybody in the room, Charlie. And I said, yeah, that was it. Jeff got a job. My dad was a good dad. Everybody knew Charlie.

Wasn’t really crazy. It was really funny. We had a structural fire and we’d knocked it out, put it down. And the lady was running around in her yard frantically, My baby, my baby, my baby, my baby. And my lieutenant looked and said, what are you talking about? She said, my baby’s in the house. I can't find her. I told her, I said, I'll get it. And I asked her, I said, where was the last time you’ve seen your baby? She said, in the bedroom. No problem. Put on all my equipment. Get in there, searching under the couches and stuff, reached underneath the bed, and I felt movement. Okay, I got it. I picked it up, put it in my arm, like this, went outside, and when I got outside. It got a fresh breath of air...It bit me. It was a dog. And I looked and the lady and I said, Here’s your baby. And I said, I hope it's vaccinated. She just looked at me, she said, Vaccinated? I said, it’s a Dog! Well, that got around the fire department that I was the dog saver. That was fun. Yeah. Saving a little pooch, but, it made her happy, made me happy. That was her baby. That was her baby.”

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