COLLINS, Mo. – Jim Patton was driving through Collins, Mo., on his way to assist a water system, when he noticed thick black smoke curling above the village. Patton, a volunteer firefighter for 21 years, immediately recognized the smoke as sign of a structure fire, and drove to the scene to offer assistance.
                Patton, a circuit rider for the Missouri Rural Water Association, found local firefighters already on the scene, combating a blazing two-story house. A group of stored oxygen bottles had exploded inside, ripping out the side of the building and igniting the fire. The local firefighters accepted Patton’s offer. The circuit rider pulled on his firefighting gear and manned a water hose.
                After over an hour of fighting, the crew finally had the fire under control. That’s when Collins Clerk Pam Myers started receiving a flood of calls complaining about low water pressure. Patton began investigating, and found the system was running 10 psi below its normal pressure. Patton finally traced the problem to the village’s water storage – the firefighting effort had left the community with only four feet of water.
                Patton went to the well house and monitored the system until the pressure returned. He also advised Myers to issue a precautionary boil order since the loss of pressure could have led to contamination.
                “I didn't do anything that any one of our guys wouldn't have done,” Patton said of his efforts. “I was just in the right place at the right time to help “
                Patton’s assistance to Collins didn’t end with that day. He convinced his hometown fire department in Crocker to donate some of its equipment to Collins, including several thousand feet of 2.5 inch supply line.
                “We were fortunate enough to receive a grant for new firefighting equipment, which makes these donations possible,” Patton said.    

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