Jerry Hounshel of Vallonia recently was awarded for his 50 years of service to the Driftwood Volunteer Fire Department. President Jerry Liston, left, and Ross Emery, right, presented the award at the Indiana Statehouse.
Jerry Hounshel pictured with a new fire truck at the Driftwood Township Fire Department in 1998.
Jerry Hounshel in 1990 when he was running for Jackson County sheriff.
One thing noticeable about Jerry Hounshel of Vallonia is that he often wears many hats.
The soft-spoken Virginia native has held many positions in his lifetime from deputy sheriff to sheriff to county commissioner. He now spends his days traveling around the county serving court papers.
He managed all of it while still serving as a firefighter for Driftwood Township Volunteer Fire Department for 50 years.
“You do your best to help the community you serve,” Hounshel said.
Hounshel’s family moved to the Vallonia area in 1957 when he was 5. He attended school in Vallonia until it was consolidated with Brownstown in 1964 and a new high school, Brownstown Central, opened its doors for the first time.
Hounshel said he remembers the old firehouse in Vallonia that was built in 1956. The concrete building held two fire trucks donated to the department by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in 1948.
“When the fire department started in 1948 they didn’t have a building to park the trucks in,” he said. “One of the local businessmen allowed the trucks to be parked in a barn in the middle of town.”
Originally the trucks, which included a pumper and a tanker, were green and had to be painted red to look official.
The department occupied that building until last year, when with the help of the community and a $12,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson County, they were able to construct a new fire station.
“It was a pretty big deal for us and the community was really supportive,” he said.
Hounshel not only witnessed the development of the fire department, but also the implementation of new emergency services and policies.
Hounshel joined the department in 1974 when he was 21 years old. At the time there was no formal mandated training for volunteer firefighters.
“Times have changed,” he said.
When training was first offered for volunteer firefighters Hounshel took it upon himself to take classes.
When he first joined there were around 20 people on the department. There were no official uniforms and only some turnout gear.
“They had some old coats and boots if someone needed to use them,” he said.
Hounshel watched countywide 911 service become established cutting down response times thanks in part to the organization of the Jackson County Fire Chiefs Association.
Before 911, Hounshel said the fire department had a couple ways of notifying others of a fire and where it was located.
“We had a system where the fire chief and assistant chief’s wives would have 10 people they would dial by phone,” he said. “From there we would figure out where the fire would be.”
Firefighters who lived close to the station would have to turn on a siren that hung on a utility pole in town. This would alert the other firefighters in the area and they would all go rushing to the station ready to head out, Hounshel said.
“If the trucks left, we had a chalkboard and we would write the incident and where we were going,” he said.
Without radios at the time it also was difficult to alert other departments of incidents, Hounshel said.
“People wonder how we did it and you just hope you got there at the right place and time to save anything,” he said. “Now we are living in the glory days and we have a great 911 service.”
Over the years, Hounshel has enjoyed being part of the volunteer fire department and helping others.
“It’s an adrenaline rush and it still is today,” he said. “You just hope you can get there in time to save your neighbor’s life or their property. That’s what it’s all about.”
Being in a small township the fire department didn’t receive a lot of catastrophic calls, but Hounshel said there are some he will never forget.
“You’ll never forget when you have to go digging in a house or mobile home and there are bodies in it,” he said. “We have also responded to a few fatal accidents as well.”
Due to the establishment of new emergency service technology and the organization of the Jackson County Fire Chiefs Association in the late 1970s, Hounshel said all departments are very close-knit.
The department now responds to medical runs, which Hounshel supported. That means a majority of their dispatches are now to provide assistance to Jackson County Emergency Medical personnel.
“They even dispatch out of the township now to assist,” he said.
Hounshel along with 27 other volunteer firefighters recently were honored at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis for their service to the community for 50 years.
“It was an honor,” he said.
Hounshel said he is unsure if he will celebrate 75 years in the future, but right now he doesn’t plan to stop serving the public through emergency and community service.
This past year he donned a new hat when he was appointed as Driftwood Township’s representative on the Brownstown Central Community School Corp.’s board of trustees.
“My health is good and I got most of my sanity, but there comes a time to let the younger generation take over,” he said.
Hounshel said there are a lot of young energetic people joining the department and he plans to be a source of wisdom.
“I’m not going anywhere. I have been here all my life and I have no reason to leave,” he said. “I can’t imagine not going to a Fort Vallonia Days or helping out at the fish fry, I’ve been to 50 of them now.”
Out of the many hats, Hounshel has worn over the years, being a firefighter is one he is not ready to give up yet.
“Thank you to the people of Driftwood Township who have supported the fire department over the years and help build it to what it is today,” he said. “Our community has always been behind us.”