Fire Fighters
I know everybody thinks we do it cause we want to be a hero. For most of us.... completely untrue. We do it because we all have a complex about helping other people. We see somebody along the road with car trouble, we stop and see if we can help. A friend calls and needs help moving their couch; we're there. It's the right thing to do first of all and if it helps somebody do something they couldn't otherwise do.... then we're happy. We do it because we realize that at some point in life; every one of us will need help like that and we hope that somebody else will be willing to give us some of their time and energy to help us out of a tight spot.
I think the real heroism isn't at the fire when we save a kids life or save some of a family's home and belongings. It's in the countless thankless hours we spend training, keeping our equipment working, cleaning the station, and all the other little things that have to be done. All the things we do so we're ready when those tones go off and it's time to go save a life or save somebody's property. All the time and preparation that we do so we know the best way to extract the driver of the car that just rolled a dozen times and is rapidly going into shock. All the things we do to be ready to pull the lines from the truck wearing all that heavy gear, pulling them into the middle of the fire and stopping that fire from completely destroying somebody's home. All the time we spend at the gym or watching the things we eat because we know that our life and the lives of others will almost certainly depend on it someday. That is where the real heroism is.
We know everytime those tones sound and it's time to go save a life that there is a very real danger of losing our own in an accident, in a fire, or simply from too much stress on our body. But everytime we hear those tones we strap on our gear, load our equipment, and open those doors because we know, at the end of the day, that if we don't go, somebody may very well die. Somebody may lose their home and everything they own. Some little kid may not make it out in time and die from the smoke and heat. We know that many times we're the only chance they have. So despite knowing the dangers and risks, we roll every time because we are a Fire Fighter.
So the next time you see a fire fighter think about it. He may very well save your life someday. And despite everything else he may or may not be, that makes him a hero. Treat him like one.
