What is a Fireman?
He is the guy next
door.
He's a man's man with the sharp memory of a little boy who never
got over the excitement of engines and sirens and smoke and danger.
He's
a guy like you and me with warts and worries and unfulfilled dreams.
Yet
he stands taller than most of us.
He's a fireman.
He puts it all on the
line when the bell rings.
A fireman is at once the most fortunate and the
least fortunate of men.
He's a man who savors life because he has seen
too much death. He's a gentle man because he has seen too much of the awesome
power of violent forces out of control. He's a man responsive to a child's
laughter because his arms have held too many small bodies that will never laugh
again.
He's a man who appreciates the simple pleasures of life... hot
coffee held in numbed unbending fingers... the flush of fresh air pumping
through smoke and fire convulsed lungs... warm bed for bone and muscle compelled
beyond feeling... the camaraderie of brave men... the divine peace of selfless
service and a job well done in the name of all men.
He doesn't wear
buttons or wave flags or shout obscenities and when he marches, it is to honor a
fallen comrade.
He doesn't preach the brotherhood of men.
He lives
it.