How is it that celebs die and people all over freak out, but we lose a brother or sister and the people outside the community or department dont care

We have lost a few celebs this week and there is alot of people that looked up to them, and i understand that. But there is peaople (us) that puts their asses on the line every day to save them and others. im not asking for anything, and i love Firefighternation.com, but i think that more than us should know about the firefighters that are killed in the line of duty or not, Celebs get put all over tv and the internet, Exap m. jackson, there are all kinds of stuff about him on tv, internet and so on now that he is dead. But there is a firefighter from North Carolina that was killed in Iraq this weekend serving his country, its not on the internet, more or less the tv station prety much said he died and thats it. Anyways i beleive yall know what im talking about, im not asking for anymore credit than what we get, because we do, do a crazy thing everyday, GOD BLESS US ALL, AND STAY SAFE

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id just like to hear what others think
Justyn, You are going to have to get over it. The only time we are thought of
is when they need us. That's why we have each other, that's what makes this
such a great Brotherhood/Sisterhood. Don't let the little things in life bother
you. Just keep doing what your do, and know you have a big family behind
you. That's what really matters. Be well, and stay safe out there Brother.
It goes to show just how backwards our society has become. People care more about what is going on in PEOPLE magazine than what is going on in the real world.
Where celebrities are concerned, people feel as if they actually know these actors/singers/etc. We as firefighters are relatively unknown to the general public. Yes they see us around town day after day, but they don't feel they "know" us in the same way as celebrities. Also, the general public expects us to die. "It's part of our job", they think. Celebrities just sing or act or do nothing (Paris Hilton comes to mind), but because they come into our homes through out TV sets or stereos, people seem to have a closer "relationship" with them than us.
I do understand where your coming from but to me I'd like it to be left a lone and not plastered all over the news sometimes the media is our worse enemy.
I've read through everyone's responses and I have the exact same feelings / ideas about how or why it always happens this way. I've even seen the same kind of response in our community when "certain" people die. It's sad because that singer, actor or "good guy in town" is still just a person who passed.

But maybe we as an industry need to market ourselves more and show the public that we truly are more than just the garbage man or street cleaner. I truly believe that if we were to treat the fire service as a service based business and work it that way, we might be viewed in a different light.

[disclaimer:] My department is just as bad at this and I'm just on a kick to try and implement marketing into our department, so don't take offense. Just throwing out ideas....

F.D. Web Design
It's primarily about fame and brand identification. Unless a fire/EMS death rises to the shock value of 9/11, the Charleston 9, or some similar multi-fatality incident, the average Joe doesn't know the firefighter or paramedic involved and has never heard of the LODD.

How many firefighter LODDs were the King of Pop?
How many people grew up with a swimsuit poster of a LODDs firefighter compared to those who had one of Farrah Fawcett?
How many paramedic LODDs starred in the Pitchmen TV show along with Billy Mays?
How many firefighters or paramedics were known by name all over the country, were a Playboy model, or who are even known outside their department, let alone are/were a cultural icon?

The bottom line is that tragedy is not based on how many people knew the person who died.
Tragedy is not based on the amount of press coverage someone's funeral gets.

Michael Jackson's passing is every bit as much of a tragedy to his children as is the passing of a firefighter or paramedic to his/her children. It just got more press coverage because he was famous.
I believe celebrities are mourned by the public largely in a nostalgic sense. For example a particular athlete may evoke memories of childhood visits to the ballpark with dad, or that championship run from yesteryear when you were back in High School. Farah Fawcett (for those of us old enough) automatically conjures up images and memories of the 70's era gone by. The passing of a singer might bring back memories of a particular time in our life involving a old boyfriend or girlfriend. Intense media coverage of course only magnifies the effect accross society.
Fact is the average citizen has no clue whatsoever about how many LODD's are suffered annually in the fire service, or how many thousands of civilian deaths occur each year. The public also can't quite understand clearly the nature of the job and it's risks and sacrifices, nor can they be expected to.
Justyn, hope in time you will find enough internal self-satisfaction and repsect from your peers from a job well done, so that this won't be an issue for you any longer.
People are so obsessed with the lives of celebrities in general that they believe that they truly care about the individual. Through the media outlets people truly believe they get to know these people (celebrities), so they consider them closer. When a firefighter/EMS worker/ect. dies in the line of duty people generally don't seem as upset because they're not a public figure or a media juggernaut (Example: Michael Jackson).

I do believe that people should care moreso about the people that watch their backs when an emergency comes forth. It's pretty depressing, actually.

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