FF Funerals

Tomorrow I will be attending the funeral of Elizabeth Fire Department Acting Captain Gary Stephens. This will be my second (unfortunately I doubt it will be my last) time attending a LODD funeral.

I was in a bit of a bad mood (about something unrelated) and was talking to my girlfriend and mentioned I would be attending the funeral. She asked me why, since funerals put me in a bad mood, I would go to another funeral that I didn't have to go. I know I need to go.

My question I suppose is how do I explain to someone outside of the fire service the brotherhood that we all share and why I would feel compelled to go to a funeral of a man I've never met?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by alan on January 25, 2009 at 9:24pm

that truly is the brotherhood. i did the same back in october for a neighboring company

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Denise Co 29 on January 25, 2009 at 9:27pm

I would just tell her you are going to pay your respects. This is what the brotherhood does . Does she go with you to firefighter functions ? Once she is around it she may understand what it is about. Why not ask her to go with you so she better understands? Do you think this is an option ? Good luck
R.I.P. Captain Gary Stephens

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Station10Capt106 on May 1, 2009 at 9:38pm

That is a hard question. You can explain that all firefighter face tough and stressful situations. This brings us all together into a brotherhood and family. We may know know the firefighter that served his final call, but we have all walked in his boots and felt the same flames lick at as as he did. We have all shed the same tears, dealt with the same fears, and supported our fellow firefighters during the aftermath of a bad call.

It is out of respect that we honor those who have fallen. Our dedication, service and sacrifice to the fire service draws us all together and connections us, especially during times of grief, regardless of if we are urban or rural, east coast or west coast, vol or paid . . . the brotherhood of the fire service is the tie that binds.

John

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on May 1, 2009 at 9:59pm

Art,

You also see it in the military, although generally with smaller numbers of attendees.

One factor that often gets overlooked is that the public safety and military professions are the only ones that involve spending a lot of each workday planning ways to make it through the shift alive and unhurt. When one of us don't make it home, it's incumbent on the rest of us to show solidarity with the family of the fallen, and to show them that we are ALL family.

Ben

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben "Batman" Barry on May 1, 2009 at 10:35pm

i would say that no matter where your from or who you are you are a brother in arms. All men are created equal but a select few become brothers

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jack Curles on September 28, 2009 at 6:13pm

Here is a little uplifting news on the funeral front! Even though our Captain died of a heart attack standing up under the pressure of major lawsuits against our county fire dept. he stood his ground and the federal grand jury found him,(and others),innocent but he didn't live long enough to see it! But all of us rallied around and paid honor to him last weekend! Here is the videos;

http://bainbridgega.com/news/publish/092309bellflower.shtml

http://bainbridgega.com/news/publish/082609harrellsuit.shtml

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dale Clemons on March 1, 2011 at 12:24pm

How does a solider returning from the middle east explain it to us? He can't - we don't live through the same experience. It's one of the realities of the job that binds us closer than most other "occupations". It take a special person to be married [or involved] to one of us.