Alva Review-Courier -

Amorita/Byron Fire and Rescue Chief Brad Rieger had a nice surprise recently. He received the Enable Midstream Safety Partner Award through the OKC Thunder. This meant he'll receive a Thunder prize pack (including game tickets for the 2021-22 season) and $1500 for the Amorita/Byron Fire and Rescue.

"That's a lot of money for a small rural department," Rieger said. "Honestly when they called I thought it was a hoax!" He discovered that Meredith Harden had nominated him for the award and said, "I was very honored she took the time out to do this. Several hundred apply. It's not easy to get this award."

Enable Midstream Partners and the Thunder partner in the success of the communities in and around Oklahoma. The group recognizes local emergency responders who embody their values of safety, integrity, accountability, customer service and teamwork. Enable Midstream is dedicated to the well-being of their employees and the community above all else.

Harden said that Rieger embodies all those qualities. "Brad is a leader in the community. He is willing to go above and beyond. He is really good to get the training and supplies his crew needs to perform their services in our rural community." She has joined A&B as a volunteer.

"I nominated Brad for the award pre-Covid," Harden said. That's when the award winner was taken out on the Thunder court during a game to receive the honor.

Rieger said he doesn't mind and is mainly excited about the $1,500 for the Amorita/Byron Fire and Rescue. He said they've been updating their communication system and they'll use this money toward that effort.

He's been chief for 10 years and a member for 26 years of the Amorita/Byron Fire and Rescue. Referring to the 29 members of A&B, Rieger said 13 of those are EMRs and four are EMTs. They are a First Response Agency and have six apparatus, one support trailer and a helipad.

"We've got a pretty young group. I have lot of fun leading them. They are easy to train and always willing to go. They have so much energy and are so eager to help their community. That's what we do in Byron America – everyone working together. We have 29 people who are very diverse and spread out. Employers are understanding when we get calls. That's how rural America works."

A&B held their annual soup supper and pie auction last Saturday and have collected about $20,000.

A Day in the Life of Volunteer Firefighters

Rieger said the volunteer fire and rescue department never knows what each day will bring. For example, Monday the volunteers were on the job 12 hours. About 3 p.m., a fire broke out five miles east of Byron on Latimer Road. Although it was wet and muddy 150 acres burned. Rieger said it was low humidity, warm temperatures with wind gusts over 50 mph that caused the fire to jump the road three or four times.

"Two hours into the fire, there was a wreck in front of the fire station. There was enough speed that airbags deployed," Rieger said.

He said nine fire departments were called in to help battle the blaze. With the wet conditions, Rieger said one dozer and two road graders got stuck. With the fire finally extinguished, A&B responded to the head-on two-vehicle injury crash east of Burlington about 8 p.m. Read about it in a separate article in the Newsgram.

Rieger and his wife Robbie have three children: Tiffany, Tanner and Tateyn. He farms and ranches near Byron and has a construction business. Besides his duties as fire chief, he is a First Responder EMR and instructor for A&B.