DEAR EDITOR: On a recent afternoon, as my childen and I were passing the LaPlace fire station on Hemlock Street, my son commented that he would love to see what the station looked like. So, we pulled in, hoping to get a brief tour. Well,were we in for a surprise! There were several people there as they were just returning from a call, and they couldnt have been more willing to show us around. We got a one-hour,personalized tour of the trucks and the equipment, plus some interesting stories from our “tour guides,” Robert Evans and Brian Fagot. What impressed me the most was the enthusiasm that the men had for their positions, especially considering that they are volunteers. From the tour, Ican imagine tha there must be quite a bit of training for the men and women who volunteer. And Im sure that there are times that they dont particularlywant to get out of bed to respond to a call. But they do, and for no pay.It is so refreshing to see such a qualified group of people coming together every day to do a job for their community, our community, without asking anything in return. The next time you see a volunteer firefighter, you maywant to stop them and just say thank you. Michele Leagans LaPlace