For all of us, 2020 was an unusual year, to say the very least. The word that became cliché back in March but really explains it best is unprecedented.

For myself, 2020 was already a challenge: It was my first year as the Chief of Fire District 13.

In January I became aware of a new strain of the coronavirus in China. By mid-February, when inquiring about N95 masks my medical supplier showed none in stock. By the first week of March I was personally meeting people from Craigslist as far away as Seattle to purchase masks. I met a retired police officer in a McDonalds parking lot to...