There are a lot of myths about firefighters. For instance, some believe that professional firefighters just sit around playing checkers and cards all day, waiting for an alarm to come in.

Well, let me assure you there is nothing farther from the truth.

If you are one of the many visitors to stop in recently and check out the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters in East Wheeling, you were assured most definitely that city fire crews have little time to play anything.

This beautifully decked-out fire station houses some of the city’s biggest and best fire apparatus and equipment available today. Wheeling firefighters, both men and women, are also among the best in their field. Their enthusiasm and appreciation for this new firehouse and all its bells and whistles was evident as they were eager to show and tell all about it.

One look around the fire headquarters lets us know that their training has evolved from merely humping hose and climbing ladders. It should make city residents sleep better at night knowing that there are highly trained firefighters, EMTs and paramedics who give up plenty of hours of sleep to keep others safe.

Every inch of the facility is put to good use.

The expansive training room is impressively equipped with the latest technology that only enhances every firefighter’s ability to do his or her job well.

OK, you may think I’m a little biased in my opinion of the new firehouse, and you would be correct. I spent 40 years of my newspaper career following fire trucks around the city and reporting the news — good or bad. I have seen their joy and the tragic side of their job. I have personally witnessed the growth and improvements in the fire service, too.

Having a husband who served this fire department for 26 years also gives me perspective on then and now.

During his time of service, Wheeling experienced some of the worst fires, from the loss of Bernhardt’s Men’s Store to the Easter Sunday conflagration that consumed multiple structures at Imperial Display.

We saw the fire department at its best fighting those blazes.

The friendships among those firefighters, most all long retired, still exist today. My hope is that the new firehouse will give today’s department the same brotherhood that binds them at every sound of the alarm — today and always.

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.