Babysitting, helping her husband with his business, fighting a fire, cooking dinner and finally relaxing with a good book: It’s a day in the life of Phyllis Anderson.The fighting a fire chore wasn’t unusual for Anderson in 1976 when she was one of the first firefighters for the Falcon Volunteer Fire Department. “It’s not what I started out in my lifetime saying – ‘I want to be a firefighter’ – it just happened.'”Born in Fort Morgan County, Colo., in 1930, Anderson was one of five girls and one boy in the family. She moved with her family to Aurora when she was 5 years old and then to Denver shortly after.Anderson graduated from West High School in Denver in 1948. That same year, she worked in a Denver drug store, where she met her future husband, Arthur Anderson. “I worked at the soda fountain and in the office, and he worked in the parking lot next door parking cars,” she said. When he walked in to get a soda, Anderson said that was it. They will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary in June. “We are still friends,” Anderson said. She laughed and added, “He’s a good egg. I’ll keep him.”After the drugstore, Anderson began working for Shwayder suitcases in Denver. Meanwhile, her husband bought his own truck and began hauling sand and gravel in Denver and eventually cement in Colorado Springs.Anderson took a hiatus from the business world after son Brian was born. Soon, she started babysitting for family, friends and neighbors. “At one time I had five children under 5 years old,” she said.In 1973, the Andersons moved to Falcon. Two years later one of Anderson’s neighbors asked if she was planning to attend a meeting for the newly formed fire department.That meeting jump-started her firefighting career.From 1976 to 1990, Anderson served as the treasurer as well as a volunteer firefighter for the Falcon Volunteer Fire Department. During that time, Anderson said the fire department saw its share of interesting calls: “Trailer house fires, house fires, plane crashes, medical [calls], heart attacks and I think we even had a drowning once,” she said. “I was on the dispatch for that one.” In addition to dispatch work, Anderson said she went on many of the calls and drove the fire truck, too.As one of five original firefighters, Anderson remembers “getting plenty dirty” while putting out fires with limited equipment. “The first [fire] we hardly had any equipment on the truck yet and there were fires all along the railroad tracks between here and Colorado Springs,” she said. “I was running home wetting down mops to help put out the fires.”Anderson said their fire protection suits were different than today’s suits, but they still donned the jacket, rubber boots, facemask and helmet. “I remember driving down the street one time, yanking out curlers so I could get my helmet on,” she said.From 1996 to 2000, she was the fire district’s board treasurer, which gave her a total of 19 years of service. Little did she know the first meeting would lead to 19 years with the department.Today, she fills her days with reading, crossword puzzles, quilting, sewing, Swedish weaving and club meetings.A little more on Phyllis AndersonWhat are you reading?I read everything: mysteries, action and adventure-type books. I like books by Tony Hillerman. He writes a lot of books that involve Navajo cultures, customs and beliefs. I also like to read books by Clive Cussler. His books are a mix of fiction and nonfiction.If you could change anything about Falcon, what would it be?I’m not sure I’d change anything. It has changed quite a bit since we moved out here. We described it as peaceful rather than lonesome. We have nice neighbors, and after moving down here from Denver, I really appreciated springtime with all the flowers and such. Even though it is becoming more and more crowded, it is nice to have the convenience of the store.If you could change one aspect of your life, what would you change?I guess I would have been more assertive in my younger life. I was very shy and still am a little bit. I do talk more. I’m pretty good at talking one-on-one with people. In fact, my husband says that I talk so much more now that I’m six months ahead of schedule.Name one person you admire.Laura Bush. I think she is quietly supportive and her whole demeanor is elegant and refined.
