Be Careful

This is a short, but gentle reminder for all of you who like to poke fun at firefighters about how little we work. We hear it all the time. "All you guys do is sit around and watch TV, eat, take naps and work out! Must be nice!"

I'd like you to take a good long look at the above picture. That stone is a memorial placed outside Station 26 in Dallas, Texas. It sits in the middle of a small garden honoring the life of Vincent Davis, who died in the line of duty defending the citizens of Dallas. It was a deliberately set apartment fire and Vince was crushed by a wall that collapsed. Another firefighter barely escaped the same fate.

I don't know if Vince worked out, watched TV or had a nap that day. He probably had breakfast. But does it matter? What I'm asking you to think about when you make a comment like that to a firefighter or even a police officer (you know you've used the "donut" comment), is the sacrifice made by guys like Vince. Visit our academy sometime. The walls are lined with the faces of men that have given their lives in the line of duty protecting those that can't or won't.

I know it's all in fun. And I almost always take it that way. All firefighters do. We know we have a good schedule and the pay isn't bad. But we also know that the alarm can sound at any second and it could be the last. We don't dwell on it. I'll bet the thought never even crossed Vinces mind that day.

I'll bet it didn't cross the minds of the FDNY firefighters while they sat at breakfast on the morning of 9/11. 343 of them perished that day. Next time you think we all have it easy, do a Google search for line-of-duty deaths and then ask yourself it you'd like to do this job. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't HAVE another career. I love being a firefighter. But sometimes.....just sometimes.....the digs get old. Say a prayer for Vince's family ok?

Just be careful.