THE CREATION OF A FIREFIGHTER
When the Lord was creating Firefighters, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an
angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." The Lord
said, "Have you read the specification on this person?" A Firefighter has to be able to go
for hours or tending to a person that the usual every day person would never touch, while
putting in the back of their mind the circumstances. They have to be able to move at a
second's notice and not think twice of what they are about to do, no matter what danger.
They have to be in top physical condition at all times, running on half-eaten meals, and they
must have six pairs of hands." The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of
hands....no way." "It's not the six pairs of hands that are causing me problems," said the
Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes a Firefighter has to have." "That's on the standard
model?" asked the angel. The Lord nodded, "One pair that sees through the fire and where
they and their fellow Firefighters should fight the fire next. Another pair here in the side
of the head to see their fellow Firefighters and keep them safe. And another pair of eyes in
the front so they can look for the victims caught in the fire that need their help. "Lord," said
the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow." "I can't," said the Lord,
"I already have a model that can carry a 250 pound man down a flight of stairs and to safety
from a burning building, and can feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck. The angel
circled the model of the Firefighter very slowly,"Can it think?" "You bet," said the Lord,"
it can tell you the elements of a hundred fires; and can recite procedures in their sleep that
are needed to care for a person until they reach the hospital. And all the while they have to
keep their wits about themselves. This Firefighter also has phenomenal personal control.
They can deal with a scene full of pain and hurt, coaxing a child's mother into letting go of
the child so they can care for the child in need. And still they rarely get the recognition for
a job well done by anybody, other than from fellow Firefighters."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Firefighter. "There's
a leak," she pronounced. "Lord. it's a tear." "What's the tear for?" asked the angel. "It's a
tear from bottled-up emotions for fallen comrades. A tear for the commitment to that funny
peiece of cloth called the American Flag. It's a tear for all the pain and suffering they have
encountered. And it's a tear for their commitment to caring for and saving lives of their
fellow man!" "What a wonderful feature, Lord, you're a genius," said the angel. The Lord
looked somber and said, "I didn't put it there."
