My day started early. I got a text from my son at 4:52am. He is a fireman and he was out at a fire all night long. It was on the news this morning. A five alarm fire with twelve different departments responding to the fire. It was a rural fire so no fire hydrants available. The water was trucked in. 6 hours of smelling smoke and fighting a fire is very exhausting. No injuries. It was a 50 until storage unit and 45 of the 50 units were destroyed.
Last week I got an early morning fire that he had been out on a fatal fire. Those are the calls he has to talk to Mom.
Firefighters and EMS and Paramedics have a heart as big as the World and they are the most sensitive people on the face of the Earth. Yes it is a job, but the passion to help others is the underlying emotion they all face. They are funny sometimes because they act rough and grough, but they are marshmallows on the inside.
If you know a firefighter give them a hug. They deserve one. They lay their lives on the line to save another life and yet they are the less appreciated profession out there. People think they lay around the fire stations all day and do nothing. They are like a Dr. because they have to keep up with the latest education on fighting fires and saving lives. Sometimes it is not just a victims life it can be the fellow firefighter or their own.
In being at seminars with my son I have met firefighters that are my age and they are the most respectful men I have ever met.
The families they have are stressed more than you know. I have gotten a couple phone calls to meet the ambulance at the hospital for my son. Many times I find out about the fires after it is all over.
Hold onto the loved ones precious to you beacuse you never know when something will happen. Chris
2 comments:
Well said, Chris. It seems that those who have chosen professions dedicated to helping/saving others at the possible expense of their own lives are so very taken granted. Our local fire district helped the Rotary this past Christmas when we held a 'Social' where we had a 'warming fire'. When I delivered a Cerificate of Appreciation and heartfelt Thank You the response I got was "well, here's a first". I'm sure you know just how special your son is and even though he may not hear it often, he is appreciated.
Thanks for this lovely reminder Chris. We do have to appreciate the people in our lives.
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