NOT JUST WHY BUT WHEN WE ARE FIREFIGHTERS...

If you follow my blog you know how I feel about the fire service and why. You know what I believe in and how I believe firefighters should conduct themselves.

At the beginning of November I wrote an article titled "WHY WE ARE FIREFIGHTERS". This article posed the questions as to why you are in the fire service to begin with.

I am going to share with you a horrible story that hit very close to home for me. This story I am going to share made me go back and read my article "WHY WE ARE FIREFIGHTERS". As I read it, I realized I left something out of the article.

The article left out something that I took for granted. Something that I thought was instilled in all of my fellow firefighters. It was proven to me that this is not the case.

You see being "on duty" to some means that is when they are at work in uniform. I disagree, for me being "on duty" is 24/7 365 days a year. Just because I have finished my shift does not mean I have finished my duty. When we took our oath and swore to protect and help the citizens of the community we serve, NO WHERE DID IT SAY "ONLY WHILE ON SHIFT".

No where in our oath does it state that we will only help with fires and ems calls. No, our oath swore us to protect life and property and to help our fellow man/woman in their time of need. This could mean getting someones cat out of the tree to helping a citizen remove a downed tree from their driveway. THIS TOO IS OUR DUTY. EVERYDAY ALL DAY...

So back to the story I promised I would share. Two days before Thanksgiving a grandmother of four drove to a local grocery store to buy the things she needed to prepare her family's Thanksgiving dinner. She pulled into the parking lot with her list of things she needed, not knowing what was going to happen in about an hour and half. 

She parked her vehicle like everyone else, as she did she noticed that she parked next to a  Fire Department pick up truck. This gave her some comfort and a sense of pride because one of her son in laws is in the fire service. 

The grandmother enters the store, does her grocery shopping and returns to her vehicle after about an hour and half. She is tired and frustrated for the hustle and bustle of the grocery store. (Now I would give you the time of day this happened but in all actuality it has no bearing on the story)

She opens her trunk and places her groceries inside. While doing so she notices that the Fire Department pick up is still parked next to her. She finishes loading the groceries into her vehicle, closes the trunk and sits behind the wheel preparing to leave. 

A turn of the key in the ignition - nothing. She tries again, turning the ignition key - nothing. Her car will not start. Great she thinks, because she needs to get some of the groceries home soon to be refrigerated.

She pops the hood and gets out of the vehicle to inspect the engine. Now this woman is no mechanic but she knows that a woman with a hood up on her car is usually a sign for help. As she steps around to lift the hood she notices she also has a flat tire. Even better she says, what else could go wrong.

As she turns and looks in the direction of the store hoping to maybe see someone - anyone - she may may know that can help her. She spots a person. Her feeling of being stranded is slowly being removed. This person is going to help her, she knows this because that is what they do. HELP PEOPLE..

This person she spotted is a firefighter, who's truck is parked next to her and her vehicle that has the hood up and a flat tire. The firefighter is walking her way. A sense of pride enters her body as she thinks how important it is to have men and women that help others in their time of need.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED...

The sense of pride that she had was crushed. Her feeling of being stranded was returning. Why you ask?

Because this firefighter walks right past her and her vehicle with the hood up and flat tire, and proceeds to get into the big red pick up truck that says "FIRE AND RESCUE". 

REALLY?

The firefighter, without thinking twice drives away.

The grandmother and her groceries were stranded for over three hours in this parking lot. Fortunately for her their were 2 honorable and helpful citizens that waited with her until help could arrive.

This story is disturbing and concerning all at the same time, and yet is 100% true.

You see why we are firefighters is just as important as when we are firefighters. We are firefighters, every minute of everyday. We may not be on shift but we are always on duty.

This grandmother contacted me and asked if it was against fire department policy to help a woman in need of help....I can't believe I had to answer that question. Hopefully I will never have to again.