Mike’s Real Estate Show

When I grew up in Guerneville, the greatest state of California, the volunteer fire department NEEDED the siren to alert all of our scattered volunteers and to tell them if it was either a FIRE or a DROWNING. One long burst–FIRE!! Two Long Bursts–DROWNING! The fire was usually the most urgent while the drowning pretty much was a “recovery” situation. However, the boys of the company thought it great fun racing each other to the firehouse which was a couple of blocks away from the town’s main intersection.

The bartender on duty at a local watering hole would run to the middle of the intersection and stop traffic as he knew a bunch of car crazy guys in hot Chevy’s and Fords would be screaming full tilt boogie to the firehouse. He’d be out there in his bartender apron stopping traffic and dodging the guys coming into town from the surrounding countryside and their jobs. We were a rural resort area on a river and the big thrill for me as a kid was watching to see which volunteer would get airborne coming over our town bridge! One of the Birkhoffer boys and his ‘56 Chevy always clocked about 95 mph hauling’ over the bridge! We had a couple of head-ons at the front of the fire station occasionally! Very exciting for a young kid. When I moved out of my parent’s home the first place I rented was right across from the station!! The siren and 4 guys with hangovers was a wicked combination.