Long before Hurricane Ike's intentions were made clear, the City of Pasadena was making preparations for foul weather, just in case Ike were to strike close to home. Some apparatus were stored indoors for the duration, the rest were fueled up and all tools were double checked to ensure rediness. Food and water were laid into the stations as well.

Once the Firefighters were paged to report to their stations, they were ready to respond until the storm itself would not let them. Calls were again answered while the eye of the stormed passed over, and then it was shelter in place once again at the stations until it was deemed safe to respond as normal. By noon on Sunday, well over 100 calls for service were handled by volunteers, many of whom had storm damage at their own homes to deal with, but they put community first. There were 3 structure fires with significant losses, and 2 non fire related deaths reported during that time and are under investigation.

Many of the Firefighters commented that neighbors were pitching in and helping out to get streets cleared of debris. Residents were clearing storm drains and pushing the debris onto the curbs so that flood waters could drain away. People helped their neighbors board up holes in a roof or cover a broken window. An energetic group of citizens pitched in  together to cut up trees that had fallen onto power lines to make it easier to reestablish power to the area. 

Many civilians stopped by the stations to visit in between calls, some brought food, and some local businesses dropped off some of their perishables so that they would not go to waste. Those certainly did not go to waste, and they were greatly appreciated! At a time when the community was bonding, an anomaly occurred that created some hurt feelings for the Firefighters. Home Depot opened up and sold discounted generators to Pasadena Police Officers prior to opening to the public. When a Fire Department Officer in uniform went there to buy one, he was denied, and told that the discounted generators were for police only. Not that Public Servants are owed anything, but many Firefighters felt slighted that the courtesy was not extended.

All in all, the Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department once again showed that they were up to the task and are as always, equaled by few, exceeded by none.