Well if that title didnt get your attention then I dont know what will!!! lol

Isnt it funny how little kids who can hardly spell their own names somehow make us scratch our heads for hours by just saying one sentence? I have a much younger brother who seems to get smarter and taller by the day and a few nights ago he dropped a line on me thats kept me awake for nights.

Let me give you some background... A neighboring dept. is having a life fire training this saturday, of which myself and six other members of my dept. will be attending. The structure being burned is an old farmhouse that was taken over by the feds after a drug raid. After training on some forcible entry, ladders, ventilation and the like... we will be burning room by room as long as safety permits. After which, it will be torn down by a demolition company.

While out to dinner with my family, we started talking about the event and I got the usual "be careful's" and "stay safe's" from my mother and sisters. To which my younger brother replied, "He cant get hurt... hes a fireman!" We all laughed and started talking about something else. I got home later that night and really started thinking about what my brother had said. I realized that during my short two years in the fire-service; I have been keeping the same mentality as my younger brother. Without even realizing it, I've been keeping the attitude that I am virtually indestructible on the firescene.

A few weeks ago there was a popular forum on this site about what we say to our families before we head to the station for a call. I read most of the responses and they all pretty much said the same thing. " I love you," "daddy/mommy will be right back," etc. I didnt respond to that post because if I had, I wouldnt have been able to write much. Ive got my own apartment now so usually there isnt anyone to say anything to, however; when I was living at home, I dont recall saying "I love you" to my family a single time when I ran out the door to answer the call. Its certainly not that I dont love my family or that I dont care about them, I just always thought without hesitation that I would be coming home perfectly safe just the way I had left.
As firefighters, were taught that we are the ones doing the saving, not the ones being saved.

Now thats not to say that I dont practice safety on the fireground. I try to focus on being as safe as possible from the time the tone drops to the time when were backing in the rig; not only for myself but also for my fellow firefighters. I honestly thing that it might be the constant thought of safety in the back of my mind that is giving me the false sense of security. I think "I'm being safe, how can anything go wrong?"

My thoughts have gone from "okay, now I'm understanding that I CAN get hurt so what can I do to prevent it." to now being "There might be a day where I do everything right and I still dont come home." Ladies and gentleman... thats a scary thought. Is it scary enough to keep me away from the firehouse? Dont count on it!!! I cant imagine ever doing anything but being a firefighter. I can tell you with certainly though, I think a little deeper when reading "the firemans prayer," I pray harder for the safety of myself and my family when I'm away, and I tell my family i love them whenever possible each time that tone drops.