In the world of fire/rescue, you have victims and you have people. They are not supposed to be the same. People are the ones you hang out with, get drunk with, work with, and even argue with. Victims are why you are here to do what you do; to answer the call for help, and hopefully provide a positive outcome. (Though not always the case).

This past Friday night me and my fellow firefighters had the displeasure of removing the body of a 17 yo female victim from the wreckage of a fatal single vehicle accident. What makes this one harder than the rest is that she was friends with some of our members.


Everyone talks about wanting to run that "good" call. The reality of it is we want our skills to be challenged so that we can provide a positive outcome to the victim that needs it. In the case of Friday's wreck, folks may wonder what good can come with talking about it. I'm not an expert, but I can tell you that holding back on expressing anything about the tragedies that you see is not a healthy option.

Sometimes it takes the victim of a terrible tragedy to bring the people back together to help celebrate life, renew friendships, and keep the positive memories alive.

Be safe out there, and make sure everyone on your crew comes home.