The First Due Blog Carnival

The Fire Critic is sponsoring The First Due Blog Carnival (http://firecritic.com/blog-carnival/) and it is the first-ever blog carnival for firefighting. All bloggers are welcomed to submit a blog by no later than March 22, 2010 and the topic for the first installment is:

 I AM A Firefighter Because…

I grew up believing that firefighters were the bravest, most honorable and unselfish people that walked the Earth.

I took this belief that I held of firefighters and put it into practice by becoming one.

It was necessary that I did this for ME. That may appear to be selfish, but please allow me to explain.

Quite simply; I would have most likely died a rebellious, young man had I not embraced the ideals of a firefighter.

I realize that this swims against the tide of the usual “to help someone in need” crowd, but at the time, I was the one in need of help and in some respects, it DID involve a fire; but it was the fire that was burning inside of me and about to flash over.

I also credit my participation in team sports while growing up for helping me to return to the right path. I believe that firefighting is the ultimate team for the extreme.

You see; because of my radical, rebellious behavior as a young adult, I destroyed my relationship with my parents.

A simple “I’m sorry” wasn’t going to fix the damage that I inflicted upon them

No; this was going to have to be a visible, spiritual change in me-one that they could see and feel and to know that it was genuine.

So, I joined the local fire department and the rest, as they say, is history.

I carried my mother’s compassion, because she was always the one who cooked and cleaned for us, got us safely to wherever we needed to go and took care of us when we were sick. They were perfect attributes for my time with the ambulance service.

Dad was a veteran of the Great Depression and World War II. He educated himself by reading whatever he could get his hands on, had a keen aptitude for taking things apart to discover what made them work, wasn’t afraid to work hard and get dirty, used colorful language if the situation called for it and was the most honest person that I have ever known. He would have been a GREAT firefighter.

To apologize to them and to honor them, I took the values that they had instilled in me as a youngster, misplaced as a young adult and re-discovered some years later and became a firefighter; someone who was more like them/someone that they could be proud of.

And though they never told me, they never had to tell me that they were proud of me. Others that they had told were telling me!

Mom always told me that when our tones dropped, Dad would not leave the scanner until we had completed our call. What she didn’t tell me was that SHE was sitting right next to Dad. How cool is that?

They are both gone now, but are still with me every day, reminding me of why I became a firefighter and why I still love the fire service.

Because, even though I became a firefighter for them and for me, I also learned from them that helping in a time of need is an innately, uniquely, precious commodity that is more valuable than the rarest diamond. You could NEVER buy the kind of hope and support that we provide to our neighbors in need or the pride that it brings to us as ones who are able to affect the outcome!

Yeah; I’m still telling Mom and Dad that I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry for the sacrifices that my family and I have made so that I could be a better person-a better firefighter.

And those ideals that I found in firefighters?

They were right there in front of me; in my parents all along and passed on to me.

It’s funny how Life can take your journey full circle!

TCSS.

Art

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog at: www.chiefreasonart.com

Also on Chief Reason …

• The Answer Is In The Form Of A Question-First Due Blog Carnival-3rd Edition – May 25, 2010
• Of Dreams, Clowns and Eagles – May 2, 2010
• YOU Matter! – April 5, 2010
• Blog Contest? No Contest! – January 3, 2010