Heat keeps rising for part-time job Published June 5, 2009 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Many Keesler people seek off-duty employment, but Lyle Crandall's after-hours job is really "hot." Mr. Crandall, supervisor of the 81st Medical Operations Squadron Cardiopulmonary Phase II program, serves as chief of the Fort Bayou Volunteer Fire Department, located in the St. Martin community where he lives with his wife, Patti. And lately, he and the department have been extremely busy. Recently, they have responded to a wildfire near Interstate 10, a toddler drowning, a fatal pickup truck accident on I-10 as well as two 18-wheeler mishaps on the interstate. One of the semi accidents even involved hazardous materials; the other was an earlier tractor-trailer fire just a quarter-mile from the hazmat site. "I didn't get home until about 2:30 a.m. the next morning," he said recalling the April 21 hazmat incident. Mr. Crandall, who retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 2001, has been with the Fort Bayou department since 1995, serving as chief for past three years. "I got started volunteering in 1987 when I was stationed in North Dakota," he said. "I initially began as an EMT. I quickly learned that in volunteer fire departments, fire fighting and EMT work went hand-in-hand. Fire fighting came along 'by accident'; it wasn't my first intention." Mr. Crandall was in charge of cardiology services at Keesler Medical Center when he retired with 20 years of service. He has been in his current position since 2002.