What Happened After West

March 5, 2021

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President Barack Obama spoke at a memorial service for those who died in a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, on April 17. 

Obama reiterated that most of the people who answered the fire call on that quiet Texas evening were volunteers, not professionals, and that this sense of community is what makes the town of West so special.

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"[The call] went out to folks who are tough enough and selfless enough to put in a full day's work and then be ready for more. And together, you answered the call. You dropped your schoolwork, left your families, jumped in fire trucks, and rushed to the flames," Obama said. "When you got to the scene, you forgot fear and you fought that blaze as hard as you could, knowing the danger, buying time so others could escape," 

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According to the New York Times, Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton of the West Volunteer Fire Department said that even though these people were volunteers, they felt like they had to do something to help. 

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"They knew the threat. They knew the seriousness of the situation they were in. They immediately started moving to an evacuation process, absolutely doing the right thing to try and get people out of harm’s way,” Swanton said. 

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Obama included in his speech a Bible verse from the book of Psalms, that resonated with the people of West, Texas.

"For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us. We went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance," Obama said, quoting the Bible. 

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Amber Adamson, whose husband was on duty that night, said she appreciated Obama's use of the Psalm verse because it connected to their community. 

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"For me, comfort comes from the word. Comfort comes from the sense that God is bigger than our problems," Adamson said. "And there is nothing that God hasn't seen or experienced, and there's nothing that he doesn't know, the eventual outcome," 

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Obama said that America needs towns like West, in the sense that people are there for each other and willing to help their neighbors out of the goodness in their hearts. 

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"America needs communities where there's always somebody to call if your car gets stuck or your house gets flooded. We need people who so love their neighbors as themselves that they're willing to lay down their lives for them,” Obama said. “America needs towns like West," 

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Adamson said the reason small towns like West thrive so much is because everyone helps each other when they need it.

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"I think that those who have never lived in a small town could certainly learn from that mentality, of you know, help your neighbor even if it is just, you know, checking on your elderly neighbors, or a simple, friendly wave and a smile," Adamson said. "I think the rural volunteer fire departments are a great illustration of that biblical principle of love your neighbor."