 Photo by Jen Underwood |
 Photo by Jen Underwood |
 Photo by Jen Underwood |
 Photo by Jen Underwood |
 Photo by Jen Underwood |
 Photo by Jen Underwood |
 Photo by Jen Underwood |
Chief Freddy "Higbee" Howell
Kings Bay Fire Department
Everyone Goes Home® Georgia State Advocate
Fire Prevention Week is the first full week of October. The weekend prior, members of the fire service, survivors of our fallen heroes and others joined together in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to honor those firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty during the past year. They came from all over the United States to take part in this important weekend of events. They came as returning survivors, as escorts, as members of an honor guard, and as members of bagpipe and drum corps. Among the gathering of this distinguished group of people, there was one unlikely group that came to offer hope - professionally trained fire clowns. Yes, you read that right - clowns - and they came with a mission: to lift the spirits and bring a smile to the remaining loved ones, the most important of which are the children of fallen firefighters. The fire clowns occasionally brought smiles to volunteers and others involved in the event as well.
Friday, during registration when families were arriving, the clowns wandered around making balloon animals, painting faces, doing magic tricks or just plain "clowning around." That evening, before dinner, clowns were everywhere trying to make someone smile. After dinner, the clowns were introduced to the families and the children had the opportunity to play games with them. They play anything from Monopoly, Clue and Battleship to activity games like Simon Says or Red Light/Green Light.
Saturday while the adults were meeting with past survivors and learning how to deal with their loss, the clowns again entertained the children with more games. This time most of the games were outside and included bell ringing relays, a water balloon toss, a water gun challenge, and more. Then, afterward, the clowns provided the children with more one-on-one smiles by painting faces or making balloon animals.
So, who are these clowns and why do they do this? They come from the areas of the fire service from all parts of the United States and they range in rank from firefighter to chief. They are typically career firefighters, and for some this has been their only profession. They are not goofy people who decided to become firefighters; they are heroes who decided there was another way they could help. They can identify with the lives of each and every person attending the Fallen Firefighter's Memorial because each one has had to train for emergencies, enter burning buildings, or scale a ladder to rescue a child. Each one is dangerously close to being one of the fallen they are here to honor.
In the experience of more than one firefighter, including Kings Bay Naval Base Fire Chief Freddy Howell, it was the day-in, day-out frustration of seeing disasters such as massive burns and fatalities that inspired these fire service professionals to become active in the art of prevention. They found out that by having fun they could educate others about the value of preventing fires and other emergency situations.
So what does it take? In addition to performing regular duties as a fire professional, these clowns spend tireless hours learning how to make people laugh. It begins with deciding what kind of clown he or she wants to become. It involves the type of make-up (which takes an hour to apply and even more than that to learn and perfect) to hair, to colors of the costume, shoes and accessories. They have to find what fits them best, develop their own costume, and get all that other funny gear they wear and carry. Clowns learn how to apply face paint, tie balloon sculptures, perform magic, and even juggle. They clowns learn how to make people laugh by what they do or say in an ethical and professional manner. It's not as easy as it sounds, however the rewards are immense. Chief Howell states, "To know that you took away someone's pain for just a moment makes it all worth it."
The Georgia Firefighters Clown Society, started by Chief Howell about 20 years ago, is an extension of the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation. The Burn Foundation credits hundreds of saved lives as being directly related to the efforts of fire clowns and their message of prevention.
Borne out of the efforts of those that hosted the Memorial Weekend is a program called Everyone Goes Home®. Although we paid tribute to those that are gone, we need to endeavor to keep our firefighters safe every day on the job. We are our brother's keeper, so let's take care of each other by making sure that we are doing what we can to make our profession safe!
I have been fortunate to attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend for the past five years and have gained many friends and extended family as a result. It is a worthwhile sacrifice having to leave my family to tend to others' families. In the end, I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to spread such joy, because if it were my family attending, I would hope that my brothers would be doing the same.
Naval Sub Base Kings Bay, Kings Bay, Georgia
Years in the fire service: 24
Years as a fire clown: 20
Started as a firefighter in: Waycross, Georgia
Clown Name: "Higbee" (named after a part of fire truck apparatus)
Web Site: higbee2000.tripod.com
E-mail: higbeetheclown@hotmail.com
Married to Kathryn; Two children: Danielle (20) and James (8).