HEROISM REDEFINED
- I remember my first fire call as if it were
- yesterday. I was sitting at home when the
- pagers went off for a structure fire near the
- center of town. I got into my car and flew to
- the station, eager to be on the first-out truck
- and next to a hero. God, to be a firefighter,
- what a dream come true!
- As a child watching firefighters on TV shows,
- I could only dream of the day when I, too,
- would become a Hero. Who were the Heroes?
- The people who made a difference-and they
- were the firefighters. Firefighters, in their big
- red trucks and bright yellow gear-they were the
- men and women I respected.
- As my Days in the department grew into years,
- my Heroes changed. Their gear was no longer
- bright, and being the first one their didn't mean
- very much anymore. Instead, my Heroes were
- seldom seen at a fire and appeared only on
- meeting night to complain and vote. And they
- are the people I wanted so much to be like?
- Where were the heroes?
- I came to realize that over the years that I, too,
- had fallen into this routine. I had failed as a
- Hero. Then a Rookie came along. Yes the
- Rookie we laugh about, the Rookie we love
- to tease. But this Rookie came with the same
- spirit I once had, Wanting only to be a hero.
- I realized he already was a Hero, with a sense
- of pride and the true dedication to show up
- for even the smallest of fires, no matter what
- he was doing.
- I found myself not wanting to be a Hero
- anymore but wanting to be a Rookie again.
- Shannan Burch
- Firefighter/Paramedic
- Comanche, Texas
|
