Together they are good for almost a hundred years of fire service: Paul and Willy Gillisse from Putte. The two brothers experienced joy and sorrow as volunteers of the fire station in their hometown. On Friday they will hang their helmet and overalls on the hook for good. “It will take some swallowing when our fire truck with siren drives by, but it has been nice,” says Willy Gillisse.
Fifty years ago Willy (68) started as a volunteer with the fire brigade. His brother Paul (60) followed eight years later. “It was actually the intention that we would complete a hundred years together, unfortunately that was no longer possible,” says Paul. “Then they should have lowered the fire truck for me and bought a walker”, Willy jokes.
“My condition is not what it used to be.”
The older of the two actually handed in his pager last year because he was no longer able to do the annual medical examination. “I thought about trying it for a while. But my condition is not what it has been since I had surgery for pancreatic cancer. I am glad that I was allowed to stay on to complete the fifty years and to guide new boys.”
Willy and Paul became infected with the ‘firefighter virus’ at a young age. “When I started, we were alarmed by a siren on the roof of the barracks. When I cycled to the barracks, I was encouraged by the whole village during the ride. Only in the barracks did we hear from the municipal secretary where we had to go. That was exciting every time,” says Willy.
“My clothes are in order next to my bed.”
“And we cycled behind the fire truck again”, says Paul, who, as the commander, was always ‘on’ all those years. “I sleep very lightly and my clothes are arranged next to my bed in order. When I get dressed, I already start preparing for the deployment and after that it’s not thinking but just going. That has been the case all those years, even at family parties where you suddenly had to leave.”
It was also difficult for Paul to make the decision to stop volunteering. “You feel like you’re letting the team down. For me, that was really a threshold that I had to cross,” said the firefighter who lost his son Tijmen (25) in a traffic accident four years ago. “It takes a lot of energy for me to stay upright and then you have to let go of things. The loss of Tijmen is not the reason, but it does play a role.”
“You can make a difference for people.”
Paul and Willy share almost a century of fire fighting history in Putte. The wildfires on the Kalmthoutse Heide made a big impression. They have also never forgotten the rescue operation of two victims in the former fire station in Putte. In 2001, during demolition work, two workers were buried under the roof that had collapsed. Together with his colleagues, Paul managed to free them from their predicament.
“I’m definitely going to miss the adrenaline during an outing. That also applies to the fun of the practice evenings”, muses Willy. Paul: “For me it’s mainly the satisfaction, the moment where you can make a difference for people. I will miss that good feeling.”
