CHOCTAW BEACH — Firefighters Rich Allison and Dan Corcoran say they have the best assignment in Walton County.
They get to watch the sun rise and set over Choctawhatchee Bay, they know the community where they work and they say most days are fairly quiet.
Allison and Corcoran are two of six firefighters who man the smallest fire station in the county at Choctaw Beach. Two career firefighters are on duty, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“It’s John Wayne time around here,”said Corcoran, referring to the need to be self-reliant at the isolated station. “It’s a nice change of pace as long as you can get it. What the station lacks in comfort it makes up for with the view.”
For years the station was headquarters for the Tri-Village Volunteer Fire Department. Walton County Fire Rescue took over in 2001 and placed paid firefighters there.
The tiny station sits along State Road 20 right on the bay. On slow evenings the men like to sit on the back of their truck and listen to the water break at the shore.
However, on busy nights they know it’s all on them.
“As soon as we get the call we’re calling for assistance,” Allison said. “We’re the only county entity between Freeport and North Bay, but we can only do so much.
“With medicals, though, you can do a lot in the time it takes to get another station to get here. That time makes a difference.”
Allison and Corcoran have worked together at the station for three years. They say with a two-man operation the key is having a plan ahead of time and knowing what each will be doing.
“We know each other’s strengths,” Allison said. “That’s important when there’s just two of us. Anything that can go wrong will, so we have to be ready for anything.”
The men say they average two to three calls a day. But that doesn’t mean their station isn’t busy.
It is used as a voting precinct and a place for people to get help with their taxes. It also has become a sanctuary for people in dire situations waiting for law enforcement. Locals even stop by just to get ice from the station’s ice machine.
“Everyone kind of looks at this place as their own little department,” said Corcoran, who also works for the South Walton Fire District. “It’s a nice place to be. It’s the best assignment in Walton County, if you ask me.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
