We WILL get back to the pump operations, SOON! But this one has been bugging me, so here it is.
Well what more is there to say about it than the title? DUTY. PRIDE. TRADITION. That's what we do, right? Funny how 10 years can make a difference. Sept 12 2001, I could do nothing wrong. I was a hero in my public's eye. I didn't do anything that any Warrior wouldn't have. Just doing my job. Working on Sept 12 2011, 10 years down the road, and I have "my" governor calling me a greedy bastard for wasting the tax payer's money. I have citizens asking me "What took you so long to get here?" I have citizens calling 911 for an ambulance because they have a blister. That takes my ambulance away from the heart attack coming in 10 min from now. So when the heart attack shows up, I have citizens asking me "Where is my ambulance? I called the paramedics, not the firemen!" Just because you have an EBT card, doesn't mean you no longer have to be a responsible member of society. You still have to think about the other guy.
But, firefighters haven't changed. Not even a little. We still do what we did back in the 1800's. Nothing has changed there. What HAS changed is the way we do what we do. New technology, new ideas, better training. We are the best problem solvers available, PERIOD. Have a problem you don't know how to fix, that needs fixed in a hurry? Call 911! Who shows up?
Not to sound corny or cliche, but Donald Sutherland said it best in the movie "Backdraft."
"The funny thing about firemen is, night and day, they are always firemen"
Here's my take on it.
DUTY
Volunteer or Paid, I don't care. You signed a blank check payable up to and including YOUR LIFE to protect the citizens of your community. It is your DUTY to provide the citizens with the best care that you can give them. 95% is not acceptable! 100% all the time, every time. I don't want to hear you're tired, bored, untrained, or lazy. Get away from me and The Warriors, this job isn't for you! End of discussion.
PRIDE
You are a highly trained professional, so act like it! Shine your boots, polish your badge. Look like a professional when you show up on scene. Know your job, know what to do. You ARE the last line of defense! That citizen called you because they didn't know what else to do. You are supposed to show up as a HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL and fix the problem! If you can't, who the hell are you gonna call? BE the part, ACT the part, LOOK the part! If you've earned a few bugles, wear them with pride! Learn how to be a leader, that's what those bugles mean. If you haven't earned any bugles yet, LEARN HOW TO! Know your first dues inside outside upside down.
TRADITION
The fire service started with the birth of our country. Benjamin Franklin is called the first Fire Chief. The first paid firefighters went to work in Cincinnati in 1853. You think this is new? It's not, there have been MANY brothers before you.
The Maltese Cross was first adopted by the Fire Department of New York in 1865, according to author Gary Urbanowicz in his book "Badges of the Bravest." The symbol of the Knights of Malta was chosen because of a legend involving a battle between the knights and Saracen forces during the invasion of the Holy Land. During this battle, Saracen forces began using naphtha, a highly flammable liquid, to ignite the knights in a wave of flame. The knights who escaped the blaze quickly rushed to the aid of their brethren, and extinguished the flames. This story became a representation of the courage of firefighters in the U.S.
I said up in the "Duty" section that you signed a blank check. You did. That check is also payable to the brothers that have been here before us. I, YOU, WE, OWE it to them to learn everything we can about this job, and do the absolute best we can each and every time. A lot of them cashed in that check with their lives. And you get to live on the coat tails of those that came before us.
It's your responsibility to take that tradition and leave some long coat tails for the next generation to stand on.
Done with my rant.
Stay safe gang! It's a jungle out there!
