VIDEO: Longtime Fireman Shares Experience and Advice

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – A number of structure fires have been seen in our area over the last several weeks.

The causes vary.

You’re probably get tired of hearing it being said: get a smoke detector, have your electric checked, be careful where you put your space heaters, and so on.

Take it from a man who’s been sounding off the sirens for over fifty years, and see if his advice convinces you to take a look around and see if your home is safe from a potential fire.

His name is Robert Goza.

Back in the 60’s, Houston already had a paid fire department, but Goza and several others felt the city needed a little more help.

“We needed something in Houston because it was just hit and miss during that time of fighting fires,” said the longtime fireman. “If you heard the sirens go off, you went if you wanted to. If you didn’t want to go, you didn’t.”

In ’64, Goza and around 30 others organized the Houston Volunteer Fire department.

“The first thing we got were telephones, you know, about five telephones,” explained Goza. “Then, the ones that had telephones would call the other people. That’s how we got started.”

This winter, Northeast Mississippi has been dotted with fully involved structure fires.

Houston itself hasn’t been hit, but it’s still something Goza said isn’t normal.

“Not for us it’s not,” said Goza. “Of course, we didn’t have any structure fires during the real cold weather, thank goodness. For us, we have our biggest fires in the summertime.”

He offered advice on how people can keep their homes from potentially becoming a complete loss.

“Well, the main thing is to keep it clean. Don’t have a bunch of stuff laying around, you know,” said Goza. “Check you heating ever so often, you know. Make sure it’s all working right, and maintain having a smoke detector in your house.”

Recruiting for departments all over can be a struggle, and Goza says it’s because these days not many people want to fight fires without pay.

With time, people step up to take up the reigns and carry on the tradition of volunteer civic duty.

“We are always trying to recruit young men, and right now we have several young men on the department that are doing a really good job,” said Goza.

Goza understands what he said is only advice, but working in a business longer than most people have been alive may hold some weight to it and keep your house from catching on fire.