Foible #9: Our Wooden Fire Station

Our town has the only wooden fire station left in the county. It looks like an old, converted barn and some wonder whether it is up to fire code. That would be a scandal if it wasn’t. But so far it still is. Still, the firemen are embarrassed to sit out in front of it in the cool of the evenings. People make fun of it when they drive by because it seems so odd that an all-wooden building, an extremely flammable structure, would be the fire station. The fire chief has begged the town for years for a new brick building, but so far that has not happened due to lack of funds.

Finally, the fire chief got an idea that would turn the tide. He went down to the print shop and placed a big order. A week later a large cardboard box arrived in the mail. They opened it and carefully unfolded what was inside. It was a huge banner about three feet high and maybe twenty feet long. They hung it across the front of the fire station so everyone could read the big red letters.

The firemen now proudly sit out in front of the fire station in the evenings with this huge banner behind them proclaiming their message to the world. It simply says: “These guys are good.” Maybe it implies that they are the only crew in the county that is skilled enough and confident enough to house their equipment in a wooden structure. Or, maybe it implies that fire is scared of these guys and wouldn’t dare come around to where they reside.

In any case, people got the message and now smile, wave, and honk when they drive by instead of snickering and pointing. The firemen can now sit out front and puff out their chests instead of hiding inside the old wooden structure.

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.