It has often been said that there is no no greater love, no greater sacrifice made, truly no greater gift given, than to lay down one's life to save another. Yet, every day, our nation's firefighters are prepared to do just that.
Every year, fires and other emergencies take thousands of lives and destroy property worth billions of dollars. Fire fighters help protect the public against these dangers by rapidly responding to a variety of emergencies. They are frequently the first emergency personnel at the scene of a traffic accident or medical emergency and may be called upon to put out a fire, treat injuries, or perform other vital functions.
During duty hours, fire fighters must be prepared to respond immediately to a fire or any other emergency that arises. Because fighting fires is dangerous and complex, it requires organization and teamwork. At every emergency scene, fire fighters perform specific duties assigned by a superior officer. At fires, they connect hose lines to hydrants, operate a pump to send water to high-pressure hoses, and position ladders to enable them to deliver water to the fire. They also rescue victims, provide emergency medical attention as needed, ventilate smoke-filled areas, and attempt to salvage the contents of buildings. Their duties may change several times while the company is in action. Sometimes they remain at the site of a disaster for days at a time, rescuing trapped survivors and assisting with medical treatment.
Firefighters are a highly trained, highly motivated group of individuals who work as a team. You'll often hear some of their rules "Never go in alone, and never come out alone", and "You go, I go", no matter what the danger or hazard that is before them. While firefighting is a science, it also has an uncanny sense of unpredictability about it, and sometimes it tragically costs firefighters' lives.
As firefighters, we never see ourselves as "heroes" or "supermen". We're just normal people who often work in very abnormal and hazardous situations. It is our chosen profession, our vocation in life. Quite simply put, it's what we do. Our heroes are our fallen brothers and sisters, who die in the line of duty, who have given their life, so that others may live.
So here, we would honor ALL of our fallen brethren for their sacrifice, from the small rural fire departments to the largest city fire departments across our great country.
