If you are in the Cincinnati area, you've probably heard about the loss of a fire fighter in the line of duty. For good reason, it has saturated our news here. He lost his life after checking an apartment building for more people.
When I see news stories like this, I am reminded of the many people I know who risk their lives for others.
We have friends who are police officers, fire fighters and EMTs. We have friends who've been to Iraq, Afghanastan and many other places to maintain our freedom and fight for freedom for others. I have one cousin currently serving in the army and one who is a marine. One has seen combat, one will soon.
While we cannot fathom putting ourselves in the danger they do, most of them do so without thought of their own personal risk. Some do so because they thrive on adrenaline and others do it because they have been called to their profession.
They go into places when others are running out. They search and rescue or retrieve. I am compassionate for people, but I'm not sure I have what it takes to run into a burning building or treat an accident victim or face off against an insurgent or raid a drug house.
I admire these people immensely. It breaks my heart when they don't make it home after a shift. It reminds me to pray for those I know doing the same.
It also makes me think of my brothers. I haven't always agreed with their decisions or how they've lived their lives. However, their decisions to be first responders has always made me proud and filled me with fear.
The older of my brothers is probably no longer serving in this capacity. I'm just not sure. His heart was in water rescue. He spent hours and hours training, first working for a private water rescue organization. He later helped form a county supported water rescue team. You might not think that there is much need for water rescue in the midwest, but there is.
Flooding can be a huge issue. I know many times, he had to rescue stubborn farmers by way of jet ski through fields. The area usually has several fishing/swimming deaths each year. On rivers and lakes, there are often rescue and recovery needs.
Because I haven't had much contact with him since early 2006, I don't know many of his experiences. I do know he was asked to work recovery after hurricane Katrina. I'm not sure if he went or not. I never worried much about his safety, but was always proud that he chose to help people.
My youngest brother is a volunteer fire fighter and has been for many years. After living in a big city and small towns, I can say there are a lot of difference between city fire departments and volunteer fire departments. Volunteers in small communities go to everything. They are the first responders. Accidents. Fires. They even worked a herd of wandering cows here.
I know my brother has worked a lot of fires and accidents in his small town. When the fire department is dispatched, a loud siren is sounded and the firemen available race to the station. Everyone in town knows and respectfully stays put for the 5-10 minutes it takes to get everyone to the station. It is a town of 2,000 people. No matter what he is called to, he knows the people involved.
Although he never talks about it, I know some of what he has responded to has affected him deeply. Most notably is the overturned truck in the creek where my brother was first rescuer for a deceased young man. Before going in, he had no idea it was his brother-in-law.
Again, I'm incredibly proud of him. I may not agree with so much he does and I may not have a relationship with him. But I love him and his heart to help people.
Each time I hear a story about a service person or first responder who has died during service, my heart drops to my stomach. I know it could easily be one of the many people I love. I feel badly for the families who have lost a loved one, but find myself being thankful it wasn't my loved one this time.
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