Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13

Fire can be of great benefit to humanity, but when it rages out of control, everyone and everything in its path are at risk. The job of the millions of fire fighters around the world, volunteer or career, is to control these flames and protect life and property from fire’s devastation. As fire trucks roll to calls each and every day worldwide, the sight of these trucks pulling up to a scene lends a feeling of comfort, safety and reassurance to victims, as professionally trained and knowledgeable fire fighters serve their communities. Whether it is a fire alarm, motor vehicle accident, medical call or a fire in a structure, the fire department responds with only one goal in mind – helping those in distress. It is the men and women of the fire service who risk life and limb for strangers — and “brave” is the word most commonly used to describe the world’s fire fighters.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The New York City Fire Department responded to 28,455 structure fires in 2005 with an average response time of 4 minutes and 36 seconds.

• The term used in the firehouse for fire is “job.” For example, a chief would say to the firefighters, “Get in the rig, we’ve got a working job.”

• Most volunteer firefighters and career firefighters receive the exact same type of training and are responsible for the same duties in responding to emergencies? In fact, many career firefighters are volunteer firefighters in their free time.

• According to experts, 73 percent of thermal protection in turnout gear (a firefighter’s personal protective equipment) comes from the inner lining, not the outer lining.

What is a firefighter?

What is a firefighter?

He’s the guy next door….

He’s a guy like you and me with warts and worries and unfulfilled dreams.

Yet he stands taller than most of us.

He’s a fireman….

A fireman is at once the most fortunate and the least fortunate of men.

He’s a man who saves lives because he has seen too much death.

He’s a gentle man because he has seen the awesome power of violence out of control.

He’s responsive to a child’s laughter because his arms have held too many small bodies that will never laugh again….

He doesn’t preach the brotherhood of man.

He lives it.

~Author Unknown

Make sure you check your batteries in your smoke detectors!

Michael Heath is president of the St. John Professional Firefighters Association.