For the one's I call Brother, you are my hero....
With this weeks tragic loss of two brother Firefighters from Boston during a fast moving Back Bay Brownstone fire, I am humbled to see such gratitude and respect given to them through the TV,Papers and Online Social Media. Those two brave men knew exactly what they were facing and did not hesitate in their job to save life and property while putting their own lives in jeopardy for the people they were sworn to protect. The people of Boston and cities and towns around the country are safe because of men and women who are willing to put their own lives on the line for them. Being a Firefighter, Police Officer or EMT has so much more meaning than what the public sees. Everyone has the choice to do with their lives as they so please. I have my personal reasons for why I chose to enter the Fire Service and if I choose my words correctly in this blog, you will get a small look into the window of why.
In almost every job, you have a co-worker. For the most part, you see this person or persons about five times a week for approximately eight hours a day. There is a bond formed though conversation's about your social or personal life at lunch. You may even form a friendship at work that lasts a lifetime. When you are hired in the Fire Service, you will very quickly realize that this is not your typical 9-5 job. Your first day is like being dropped into the middle of a fully functioning household and trying to see where you fit in. The mornings are very similar to actually being at your own home. The sounds of people getting out of bed on the floor above you, showers running, pots and pans being moved around and the smell of coffee being made fills the kitchen. Brothers and Sisters coming in for a shift with large duffel bags filled with needed belongings to sustain themselves for an unknown amount of time in the event they need to stay longer than their shift calls for. Voices and laughter echo with stories of the past nights happenings in and outside the house. Yesterdays mornings conversations are picked up where they left off like no time has passed. The news on the TV can be heard in the background with moments of silence when an interesting story is being reported. Just like home, the phone rings with calls from a Brothers family member needing to tell them something they had forgotten before they left home. Before you hand the phone over to them, a five minute discussion ensues between the Brothers family member and you about the silly thing they did last night. (Always good ammo for a later conversation.) Just like I said, It's like home.
Station chores are done by everyone. Floors are washed, rugs are vacumed and trash is put out. The dishwasher is emptied and filled again with breakfast's lot. Toilets are scrubbed, sinks are gleaming and beds are stripped and re-made with the thought that maybe an hour or two of sleep maybe earned later that night. The roar of the rigs starting up for their first of two daily checks can be heard on the apparatus floor. On nice days, the front of the station becomes open to the world when the bay doors start to make their way to the ceiling. (For some reason, the sound of the bay doors is calming to me. I have no explanation for this.) The rigs are moved to the apron in front of the station and soap buckets are filled. The truck wash is done while the apparatus floor is swept and maybe washed as-well. Sometimes the smell of gasoline fills the air as saws and generators are tested and ran. The familiar sound of SCBA packs being checked annoys your ears, but thats a good thing knowing it's loud enough to hear in a noisy environment if your life hangs in the balance. All this and much more being done throughout the day in between answering alarms.
Your life. Have you ever intrusted a family members well being into another knowing they will be in places you know are not safe? This is where you are going to hear the word brotherhood often. In most families, not everyone gets along. There are arguments and tempers will flare. When the drama passes, one thing always remained the same. If called upon, I promise you will not go alone or without one hell of a fight. Most of the time, we are not blood related, but we are brothers. If we are willing to sacrifice our lives for each other and the people we are sworn to protect, we have to be family, no question, blood or not.
It's perfectly fine to me that kids look up to sports players or actors as heros. I did to when I was a child. Nobody could touch the LA Dodgers or Orel Hershiser. As I got older, I started to see things differently. My heros don't make millions of dollars and are not household names. They live middle class lives and have the very same values I have. I have been honored to have spent many Holidays and special occasions with them. They know things about me that is "Family only" type of stuff. We have seen things together that nobody should ever be accustomed to as well as wonderful things everyone should experience. They are truly caring individuals who always put others before themselves. I know for a fact even if they don't, that the general public is always safer because they are there waiting for the bell to tip.
I can't explain every part of the job. I don't have the time, nor do I want to. I wanted to just give a glimpse into my path. How these men and women are hard working, caring individuals who have made a career out of giving themselves for others. You often hear about the monetary issues with this job. Simply put, it is and never has been about us. It is always about the families we may leave behind so that they may have the opportunity to continue their lives in the event we are no longer there. Just knowing they will be okay. A fair wage for a fair days work. Nothing more, nothing less.
God bless the men and women who wear the uniform, wherever they may be. For the ones that have gone before us, the ones that are riding now and the ones that will come after us.
