Jimmy Carter was president. St. Louis had Cardinals in baseball and football. Floppy discs were a thing. The world was a bit different when Bill Albus joined the Little Dixie Fire Protection District as a volunteer 43 years ago.

In 2018 he became chief of the department, which covers 600 square miles of Audrain County from three stations.

He brings to the position not only four decades of experience fighting fires. Albus served as a deputy with the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office and an officer with the Mexico Public Safety Department before joining the Missouri Fire Marshal's Office as an investigator.

The Mexico native also trained at both the National Fire Academy and the National Law Enforcement Academy.

1. Which is harder, police work or firefighting?

They both are hard, just different aspects.

2. Has firefighting changed over the years?

It has -- a lot. Fires burn hotter and quicker now because of all the synthetic materials. The synthetics give off poisonous gases that when they mix are like a gas chamber. It’s a lot more dangerous. It’s changing every day.

3. And they’ve added to your duties.

Now we are into the medical end of it, the first responder end, the hazardous materials. More training is required now. When I started we just ran fire calls.

4. Do you get to have fun?

Yes. Some of our training is fun. There are new ways to train.

5. What’s the most unusual call?

[Ponders the question for several seconds] We’ve done a little of everything. Every call is different.

6. Ever have to rescue a cat from a tree?

Yes, we have. On Christmas eve we had a dog rescue out of a pond. We get a lot of animal calls.

7. When I was a kid, every young person wanted to be a firefighter. Is that still the case?

There are quite a few who do. But they want to be full time. The majority of fire departments across Missouri and the country are volunteer. And it takes a lot more training – the same as full time firefighters.

8. How difficult is it to find volunteers?

It’s hard to find good volunteers, yeah. But we’re lucky in this area. I have a roster of 40. When I tell other chiefs that, they saw “wow.” It takes a certain person to do this, and they are dedicated. We had two guys sitting down for Christmas dinner when we had a grass fire. They don’t complain, they just get up and do it. And they do it for no pay. And their spouses support the department.

9. Is the job easier in one season or another?

Not anymore. In the summer, on some of those hot days, putting on heavy gear to enter a structure fire, even the lighter suits don’t help. But on cold days, it’s pretty cold.

10. If you had a chance to do something different…

I don’t think I would. It’s something that gets into your blood and stays.