When fire, rescue and police work on the scene for hours, how do they get their own food and water?
In Enterprise, the answer is local eateries and their workers. The restaurant community volunteers step forward and stay as long as needed, ensuring that Good Samaritans are nourished and hydrated while putting their lives on the line.
On Wednesday night and Thursday morning before Easter, dozens of first responders answered the call at the Adkins Veterans Home in Enterprise. A blaze in the nursing home's attic wouldn't go out, and the responders fought it and safeguarded the nursing home patients for nearly 15 hours. The modern-day heroes were finally able to control the fires.
Can you imagine if your grandmother were a resident of that nursing home, and you heard it was on fire, with dozens of firetrucks and rescue vehicles?
Over 100 mostly older residents had to be evacuated and moved to the Enterprise Rehabilitation Center.
While crews were fighting the dangerous fire and worried loved ones stood to the side, the local McDonald's public relations guy gave out food and drink to those who needed it most — the first responders.
Eddie Byrd is the Marketing and Community Outreach director for Murphy Family Restaurants, which operates McDonald's franchises.
When a Coffee County Commissioner called Eddie Wednesday night to tell him that the new veteran's nursing home was on fire, he immediately took off. No one had to say to him what would be needed. He knew from doing this before: water and food.
Eddie and off-duty McDonald's workers went to work filling an order that had never been placed — 100 cheeseburgers and waters, to start with.
As the firefighting continued for hours, the responders needed coffee. Eddie Byrd, the Murphy family and McDonald's to the rescue, so to speak. Fifteen gallons of hot coffee for the tired crews, who had already been working for over seven hours. Eddie and company continued the coffee service as the stubborn blaze burned.
No wonder they named this "Coffee County."
Crews, now caffeinated, continued the grueling work all through the early morning hours, but Eddie Byrd realized they would soon need breakfast. By 5:15 a.m., he had 100 sausage biscuits ready for the crews.
This is not the first time Eddie Byrd and Murphy Family Restaurants have worked to help first responders in dire straits.
In January 2025, when Coffee County Sheriff's Deputies and other agencies were in a multi-hour standoff with an alleged killer in northern Coffee County, Eddie assisted with getting around 150 hamburgers and cheeseburgers for law enforcement.
"The Murphys are always helping first responders, 2000%," said Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd.
Eddie Byrd and Murphy Family Restaurants are not the only ones volunteering to feed and hydrate first responders. Ben E. Keith, Sonic, Zaxby's and the Butcher's Daughter also worked to feed first responders Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
When there is a community emergency, there is a community response in Enterprise. There are Good Samaritans for the Good Samaritans.
Jim 'Zig' Zeigler writes about Alabama's people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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