You stay up 16 hours,

                                       He's been up 48 straight 

 

                     You take a warm shower to help you wake up,

           The rain in the Middle of the interstate keeps him awake

 

                     You complain of a Headache and call in "sick",

             He is chilled to the bone,hasn't eaten all day,has the flu

                              and then runs into a burning building

 

                       You drink your coffee on your way to the mall,

             She pumps on a five year olds chest enroute to the hospital

 

                  You make sure your cell phone is in your pocket,

       He makes sure his PASS(Personnel Activation Safety System)

                            device on his pack is working

 

              You talk trash about your "buddies" that arent with you,

      He watches his buddy fall through four floors of a burning building

 

         You walk down the beach staring at the pretty girls on the beach,

     She walks down the highway looking for the motorcyclist's missing limb

 

                                   You complain about how hot it is,

                He wears 50 pounds of gear in the middle of July and

                         drags a body out of 1600 degree flames

 

                      You go out to lunch and complain about the

                           restraunt getting your order wrong,

                               he hasnt seen a meal since

                                   breakfast at 7:30 A.M

 

              Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes,

                He's worn the same stinking,grungy clothes for the 

                          past 24 hours,no time for a shower

 

                     You go to the mall and get you hair redone,

                She's hold the hair of a college student while she

                    is throwing up in the back of an ambulance

 

               Your angry cause class your went over 5 minutes,

          His shift ended 2 hours ago and is on for another 24 hours

                             at another station 30 miles away

 

                    You call your boyfriend and set a date for tonight,

              She calls his boyfriend to tell him he made it back alive

                              Then leaves arubtly for another Fire

 

                    You yell and scream at the fire engine that passed

                              you because  they slowed you down,

        He is in the back of the engine,going to cut somebod out of a car

          only to find they are is dead and their daughter barely alive

 

                                        you roll you eyes as the baby cries,

             He cries as he hears the cries of his new born cry in the hospital...

                             but he was taking a drunk teenager in to the

                                      hospital when his baby was born

 

  You criticize your local fire department for "not getting here quick enough allways",

          She blows the airhorn while a person in front of them is refusing to move

                      while talking on their cell and doing her make up

 

          You hear about fallen firefighters and say "they should have known better",

   He feels the floor give way while carrying a toddler from her bed room and tosses

                    her on to the hard floor as he falls down toward the unknown

 

                                    you see the bright lights when you drive by

                                      They see the pain the victim is suffering

 

               You sit there and judge him and says he's a  waste of government money,

            they don't care just about the money they are in the fire service to help you

 

 Always on call wither volunteer or paid they do the one thing they love to do most,to help you!

As  they go down the street knowing it could be the last call they ride they do it.When  the bells go off they respond

to the medic call, dwelling fire, car accident, unknowing what and how the scene is like and how it will turn out.

 

Wither dreading a disease or a burning house they do it every day God Bless you and what you do!!!

                                                  If it wasn't for you who would do it?!

 

     If you love what you do and feel that it matters how can anything be more fun? - Unknown