The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
What Firefighting means to you.
Hello All, I'm Firefighter Hicks and I would like to ask everyone what being a Fire/EMS Professional means to you. I will tell you what it means to me: It means getting up at all hours of the night to go save some poor soul from danger and to have them look at me with so much love in their eye knowing that if it wouldn't have been for me and the rest of my team they would not be here right now. It means responding to a car accident and working hard to ensure that everyone gets out safe and goes home to family and loved ones. It means teaching the younger ones about Fire Safety and Prevention so that they have a better understanding of what to do to prevent a fire from happening and what to do when and if a fire would happen. I love doing what I do and knowing that because of me and every other Fire/EMS personal out there the people of our communities can live safe and rest assured that we will doing everything in our power to keep them safe. I would like everyone this site to respond to this post because I want to know what doing what we do everyday means to you.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks.
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks.
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Olivia Jones on
-
Firefighter Hicks, I wonder how ling you have been in Fire Service/EMS? While I think I agree with the general idea of what you are trying to say I have a serious issue with your first statement.
"It means getting up at all hours of the night to go save some poor soul from danger and to have them look at me with so much love in their eye knowing that if it wouldn't have been for me and the rest of my team they would not be here right now."
I have been doing this job for a few years now (ok more than a few but like most women Im sensitive about my real age) and that look in their eye is not love it is gratitude and shock! And to be perfectly honest I wouldnt want someone to confuse that with love. Yes intense situations will invoke intense emotions, however it is not healthy in the long run to encourage this. Not for you or the person you helped. It is this confusion that can lead some (Not All) emergency responders to set up a situation where they can "Be a hero"
By no means am I saying that will be you, but I feel a responsibility to educate newer members of fire service in the difference. You may have 20 years on the job and you may very well know the difference I am trying to point out, however someone that reads your post may not.
Now to get off my soapbox, I couldnt imagine doing anything else with my life, and when my body betrays me and becomes just to old to do the job, I fully plan on being a fire service/ ems insturctor until I drop dead! I read something the other day that said you are either a Firefighter or someone who works for the fire department. Me Im a firefighter!
-
Permalink Reply by Raymond Herington on
-
Scott, you prettymuch put it all in a nut shell. Protecting your family, friends and public,above all. How about the look in your childs eye when they tell their buddies" yeah my daddy is a firefighter, and when I grow up I want to be just like him". Just like me following in my dads footsteps. How bout the look in a childs eyes when the truck goes by lights flashing and siren screaming. The list is a mile long, but what it means to me is knowing that my family, friends, and public can count on me and my fellow brothers out there to keep them safe and save lives at all costs, even when putting ours on the line is nesessary. There is no other brotherhood that I can think of that makes me more prouder to be a part of than ours.
-
Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
-
The real heroes are the hard-working silent ones who refuse to be called such. Many of us struggle to do our part to keep the fire service the highly-respected profession it is, while a few occasionally make mistakes that reflect badly on us all. Example: the guy who was recently arrested for DUI while driving a departement vehicle (OMG!). Guess what I'm trying to say is we just go about our business of doing what we can and hope we never find ourselves in a predicament that looks that kind of bad. Stay safe and keep up the good work, bro.
-
Permalink Reply by John Lewis Perry on
-
I don't look at it as being a hero so much as I look at it as helping a fellow person out. I'm 100 percent volunteer, 100 percent of the time so I have to work a regular job as well as make time for lifes everyday needs. I'll be the first to admit that after a long day on the job site, all I want to do is eat supper and relax for a minuite on the couch. The tone drops for a structure fire or a vehicle accident ..... As to why I do it? I do it for my Brothers and my Sisters, because they are on there way and they need my help, because if I needed help I would want you to come for me! In some peoples eye, this is being a hero... I call it being a good fellow
-
Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
-
I just like hanging out with the fellas, going to fires, and getting paid to do it.
-
Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
-
Serving my community!
-
-
I wonder what it's like to be that altruistic?
-
Permalink Reply by Scotty Hicks on
-
Olivia Jones, I agree with you and I have a few years on the job myself. I would say that some of it is love but not all. I mean if someone watches you save their kid's life most of the time it is love in my book. Not love in the since that they want to marry you or anything but love as a human being that puts their life on the line for someone else. I mean that has been more that a lot of people that have shot,cussed,spit,and threw things at us just because we are trying to save their home. We deal with a lot of people that will go out and get insurance on their homes just to burn them and collect the money and when we show up and stop it they get mad.What they don't understand when they do things such as this they are putting more than their in danger because they are so close to another or they are right one top of a gas well. Sadly here we don't really have the resources to have a Fire or Aron investor come out to determine if it was done on purpose or accident. I agree with what you said about being in this until the day you die, that's the same for me. I was informed last night that our current chief is stepping down and putting my as Fire Chief because his DR will not release him to fight a fire anymore. He said that it's time for him to pack it in.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
-
-
Raymond Herington, Your 10000% right brother, I feel that the young is one if not the most important things we as Fire/EMS professionals need to look at. They are going to be who takes our place when we get to young to do it anymore. I love teaching the younger ones about firefighting and what they can to do help us. I mean when I child looks at you and tells you that they want to be just like you that's a feeling I wouldn't give up for anything. Most people out that don't stop and thank or include the younger ones in what they do and that's wrong. I mean I'm not in any way saying to suit them up and send them in the door of a burning building but we can take them around our station and show them the gear and equipment we use. Let them try on the bunker gear. Most of all reach out ant touch them be for the drugs and other bad things out the can get the chance.
thank You
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
-
-
Norm Timdell, bro your at very right in what you are saying. I have told people that when they are in the fire service and do things like that it not only makes them look bad but the whole department also. When are professionals weather we like it or not and we should act like one.I'm getting ready to be put in as Fire Chief for my department because our current chief is stepping down. I told my boys once I get in that position I will be acting a lot different because now I have the whole department to watch out and provide for. You see this in a lot of Volunteer Depts out there, they join and then go about their own business with out caring or stopping to thank about their actions and how it looks on the department.
Thank You
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
-
-
John Lewis Perry, I agree with you 100%, I wasn't writing this to say we are heroes or anything like that but in a lot people's eyes we are. I'm 100% volunteer also so I know what you mean about relaxing after a long day, but here most of our calls happen at night so I'm use to it. I call it human companion when you get up at 2 in the morning to go put out a house fire.
Thank You,
Firefighter Hicks,
Davy Volunteer Fire Department.
-
-
WestPhilly, I don't agree with you at all, In my option and I thank most people here will agree with me, if you are doing just because it gives you something to do and just to make money then you are in the wrong line of work.
Thank You,
Firefighter Hicks,
Fire Volunteer Fire Department.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
