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What Firefighting means to you.
Hello All, I'm Firefighter Hicks and I would like to ask everyone what being a Fire/EMS Professional means to you. I will tell you what it means to me: It means getting up at all hours of the night to go save some poor soul from danger and to have them look at me with so much love in their eye knowing that if it wouldn't have been for me and the rest of my team they would not be here right now. It means responding to a car accident and working hard to ensure that everyone gets out safe and goes home to family and loved ones. It means teaching the younger ones about Fire Safety and Prevention so that they have a better understanding of what to do to prevent a fire from happening and what to do when and if a fire would happen. I love doing what I do and knowing that because of me and every other Fire/EMS personal out there the people of our communities can live safe and rest assured that we will doing everything in our power to keep them safe. I would like everyone this site to respond to this post because I want to know what doing what we do everyday means to you.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks.
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks.
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Scotty Hicks on
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WestPhilly, It's great try it sometime.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
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Firelad, I agree with you 100%, Aman brother keep up the good work.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
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Permalink Reply by Steve P Hamilton on
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I can tell you what it meant to me being a Firefighter for thirty years to my Community was without a doubt the highest honor I could have ever been given. I joined the Fire Service when I turned 16 years old. I trained and became one of our States Youngest EMT's back when the EMT program was just getting started. The training I had down through the years helped me go home safe from very serious
and dangerous fires and other rescues. The Men and Women I worked with were of the highest caliber
meaning they had an outstanding attitude, they were proud and strong servants to our Community.
They had and still have integrity, we always worked together as one strong team. I was involved in many different types of rescues, anything from a tragic MVA to a Hill Side Rescue ,to a Confined Space Rescue,to A Boating Accident. All of which I had been trained to handle, and without the proper training we would have been a danger to our fellow firefighters and ineffective to our Community that we gave our lives to protect and serve.
The lessons I learned were life changing, I loved responding on the Engine as the Engineer, knowing that the entire crew were in my hands and it was up to me to get all of my crew safely to the Emergency Scene, and to protect them when they were inside a burning structure by providing them with water or what ever they needed. And finally to deliver all of them safely back to the Station. My last position I held in the Fire Service was an Incident Safety Officer which I did for ten years. I will always remember my first Structure Fire, to my very first Aid Call.
I will always remember the times that I rode on the Tail Board of the Engine back in the day when we still could ride back there. Being woken up in the we hours of the morning, rushing to the Station.
Seeing that Orange and Red glow in the sky even before we arrived on scene and knowing we had a big fire. Feeling the Adrenalin rush through my body. The sounds of the sirens as they pierced the still night air. The big blast of the air horn as we went through intersections to take control of them.
Jumping into an over turned car or truck to render aid. Helping deliver a baby into the world or losing
a person in CPR that you fought so hard to save. All of these events in my life helped me become the man I am today. That is what being a Firefighter meant to me. It was the Greatest Honor in My Life To Be Able to Serve and to Protect My Community and to Serve with All My Brother and Sister
Firefighters. And that they honored me down through the years with an entire wall of Awards they gave me. What more can I say but Thank you!
Steve Hamilton
Volunteer Firefighter
Incident Safety Officer (Retired )
Vashon Fire & Rescue
Washington State
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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Kid,
I've been in the "wrong line of work" for over 20 years. I've done more good for more people (whatever the motivation) probably in the last couple of tours than you're likely to do in your career at the Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
And if you happen to be in Philadelphia when you fall off that high horse, maybe I'll be there supervising my guys collaring and boarding you.
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Permalink Reply by Lt. Shane Peterson on
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Service to my community, brotherhood, and the overall joy I get from doing the job.
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Does being a volunteer literacy tutor count?
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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any relationship here? lol
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Having started my career in Fire/EMS in 1973, I never saw myself as a hero in anyway. I trained to learn a job, in a trade that focuses on doing a myriad of job functions. This job, working as a professional firefighter in my case is probably the last honest job out there where you work and get paid well for what you do.
The hero stuff quite frankly makes me a little nervous. I never wanted to become a statistic, and having even an inkling of desire to be the hero, could compromise your crews safety. Decisions need to be made by level headed professionals that don't allow emotions to dictate how they make decisions.
Getting on scene, getting the job done and getting out of there has always been my motto. Nothing else. Train to do the job, and how to do it better than anyone else. Always strive to be the best, putting in just that much more effort. To not do so means that you are lazy, which again could compromise the integrity of your crews safety.
There is also a different awareness if you are answering this question from a firefighters or fire engineer's perspective. As a company officer, and for chief officers, the awareness and responsibility for others safety becomes more important than yourself. A good company officer always places their personnel in front of their needs.
So, now that I have just retired, I can look back and honestly answer your question retrospectively... It's all about serving others that makes you feel good. It's not about dramatic rescues, but instead going out of your way to actually listen to people, and do things to literally help them. Kind of like taking the initiative to push a grocery cart for an elderly patron at the grocery store, load the groceries into the car and tell them to have a wonderful day. We all can make a difference in others lives simply because we are who we are.
It's kind of like having super powers I suppose which is why some get this mixed up in their heads, confusing what they imagine a hero to be to reality... I hope this makes some sense to some... There is a bottom line...
"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice..."
Live the dream!
CBz
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You, too?
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LOOK, I didn't start this to fight with anyone and if that's all your going to do is try to fight with me then please don't reply to this or I'll get a admin involved. As for your tours guess what SGT Hicks 75th Ranger. So I know what war or whatever your talking about does to a man. Also as for my high horse I'm only on one because people put me here I didn't jump up here bro.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
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Captain Busy, lol What do you mean but any Relationship?
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Capt 723, lol I can understand where you are coming from on that one. Same Here brother.
Thank You,
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
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