!['"Hey mom!" He yelled from the attic door,
"What's these old heavy boots and hard hat for?"
With a lump in her throat and a tear stained cheek
His mother swallowed and started to speak.
“Come here my son”, his mother said,
“There's things to tell when I clear my head.”
The past races madly through her mind.
She searched her heart for the words to find.
At last she sighed and rubbed his hair
And the words that followed I'd like to share.
“Those boots and helmet”, She said with pride,
“Were worn by a man with grit inside.
He wore them to help people in need.
Though facing danger would never concede.
Many a time in the dead of night
He jumped in those boots and flashed out of sight
To answer a call, not knowing for sure
What danger or heartache he may have to endure.
Your father, my son, was not like most dads,
It was mainly because of the job he had.
His life was devoted to all of mankind,
Just why he chose it's not clear in my mind.
I've often regretted the life that we led,
When every third night I was alone in our bed.
But your mother is proud to say she was part
Of a man who possessed such a courageous heart.
So the memories I've kept and the love I will save
Are small consolations for the life that he gave.
Yet, for all his discomfort and all of his pain
The time that he spent here was never in vain.”
I know full well these words to be true,
And not one word did she misconstrue.
But from all my mother shared that day
It's these last few words I'd like to convey.
My mother, with tears, save a long loving sigh,
And I knew what would follow was not meant to die.
With a smile so warm and a voice very weak,
She kissed my young brow and started to speak…
“Your father's days here made others seem brighter,
For your father, my son, was a firefighter”.
Poem by: Unknown
#BrotherhoodStrong
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Art: Unknown'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-0/p110x80/12439181_1129102317123424_372480884205887606_n.jpg?oh=4c80f1eab3b01bd1f69c073d354d2a03&oe=57BB6C5C)
!['#BrotherhoodStrong
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo of Camden Fire, NJ by: Dave Hernandez
"My photos aren't about someone's loss. They're about remembering the actions of extraordinary people."'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xal1/v/t1.0-0/s280x280/934143_1129038950463094_1284954047338926315_n.jpg?oh=60c6c977769400566d304ec46742917f&oe=57C0AAB0)
!['*** Happy Update ***
Exactly one year ago today the Dern family, the Fresno Fire Department, the whole world seemed to stop and flip upside down.
On March 29th of 2015, Captain Pete Dern of the Fresno Fire Department fell through the roof of a burning garage being used as a residence.
Captain Dern was in the flames for more than a minute and 30 seconds before his fellow firefighters found him and rescued him. He sustained second and third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body.
While in the Intensive Care Unit, on several occasions, Captain Dern cheated death… and the very best opinions and prognosis was bleak.
Captain Pete Dern required over 6 months of intensive treatment and numerous excruciatingly painful surgeries in the Fresno Community Regional Medical Center Leon S. Peters Burn and Rehab Unit.
Truly amazing to everyone, (not as much to those who know Pete personally) is how strong and healed up he’s become in only a year.
365 days later, Fresno Fire Captain Pete Dern is blessed to be able to walk on the beach with his loving, strong, and supportive family.
He is literally walking the beach... today!
Pete will need more surgeries on his hands and will need to return to the burn clinic often for the better part of the next 2 years. His daily life and routines drastically changed and often challenging… but Pete is extremely happy to be alive.
Thank you Brother Pete for inspiring us all to never give up and to always keep fighting.
You're a hero and a Superman to many thousands of people around the nation... around the world.
You are a miracle in human form.
Here’s to your beautiful life, family and many more walks on the beach to come!
You are: #DernStrong
#Superman
#BrotherhoodStrong
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpl1/v/t1.0-0/p110x80/12376314_1126816030685386_6215053464369628718_n.jpg?oh=d0937276086de3ac35d42b42f800ebd3&oe=57928F25)
!['"When fire is cried and danger is neigh, ‘God and the firemen’ is the people’s cry;
But when 'tis out and all things righted, God is forgotten and the firemen slighted."
The Fireman's Journal, 18 Oct 1879
#BrotherhoodStrong:
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Painting by "Brotherhood of Fire" fan Tim Kelly'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-0/p110x80/1958146_1125768954123427_4389822477342393743_n.jpg?oh=e24b8c005032abf72bcdaf64b1337f42&oe=578191FE)
!['Put me in bunkers
give me a tool
Hand me an axe
a Halligan too
Put a pack on my back
a hose in my hand
I’ll set out and prove
I meet the demand
I’ll cut holes in the roof
and force open the door
Look for victims to rescue
as I crawl on the floor
I’ll give all that I’ve got
and then give some more
Train harder and longer,
to be better than before.
I’m courageous and strong
I will conquer all fears
I’ll leave nothing behind
except my blood, sweat and tears
Poem by: Molly Moorman
Firefighter - EMT at Celina Fire Department, Ohio
Strong words Sisiter!
#BrotHERhoodStrong
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo credit: @[464250926943139:274:Capital City Fire Photos]'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-0/p110x80/10441898_1122803604419962_1619318381079608262_n.jpg?oh=461d677e3c409c57a584265a35cca2ad&oe=57731C98)
!['Wow!
Waverly-Barton Fire Dept in Tioga County, New York are right now, currently fighting a BEAST of a fire.
Stay safe Brothers and Sisters!
Mutual Aid Enrt !!!
#BrotherhoodStrong
This message just sent in by @[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire] fan Molly Sculley McLean Flynn'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-0/p110x80/10583796_1121519921214997_6883651347647415014_n.jpg?oh=11d1c1b133d2ec812283b924bd119ba2&oe=578A2306)
!['Some people (especially recently) think it's OK to protest the US by burning and standing on our flag...
while others do what they can to save, serve and protect it.
Respect given to Fire Captain Nick Ells who rescues an American flag from a fire at a paper recycling center in Phoenix.
#BrotherhoodStrong
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo from Fox 10 Phoenix
Submitted by "Brotherhood of Fire" Matthew Bellamy'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtl1/v/t1.0-0/p110x80/12801264_1120618167971839_8643217502721995405_n.jpg?oh=fa0b12e9dc9ba1903a339d012efd95ae&oe=5775680C)
!['These flags and the 9-11 Car Flag available here: http://www.9-11patchproject.org/order-2.html
2016 is the 15th year anniversary of September 11th...
What will you do this year to remember and commemorate those lost on 9/11?
(Me? Among many other activities... I'll be flying this flag)
Fly the 9-11 Firefighter Flag from your home, office, fire engine or store.
Get yours today before they're all sold out
$39
These flags and the 9-11 Car Flag available here: : http://www.9-11patchproject.org/order-2.html
#BrotherhoodStrong
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-0/s228x119/12189635_1119674521399537_332159442414988654_n.jpg?oh=5dd202a1d4d0aac26442864ed569706f&oe=57895684)
News Feed
"Hey mom!" He yelled from the attic door,
"What's these old heavy boots and hard hat for?"
"What's these old heavy boots and hard hat for?"
With a lump in her throat and a tear stained cheek
His mother swallowed and started to speak.
...See MoreHis mother swallowed and started to speak.
Incredible footage from the FDNY - Brooklyn...
This one looks hot and dangerous!
Stay Safe Brothers and Sisters out on the line
...See More
0:00
610,653 Views
FOX 29
Video of these firefighters surrounded by the flames of a 6-alarm fire in Brooklyn will really make you appreciate everything they do. Thank you to the men and woman of our fire departments for your courage and service.
For those who were asking or waiting, the right sleeve or "reverse" version of the Original 9-11 Patch is now available in singles here: http://www.9-11patchproject.org/order-2.html
*** Happy Update ***
Exactly one year ago today the Dern family, the Fresno Fire Department, the whole world seemed to stop and flip upside down.
On March 29th of 2015, Captain Pete Dern of the Fresno Fire Department fell through the roof of a burning garage being used as a residence.
...See More
"When fire is cried and danger is neigh, ‘God and the firemen’ is the people’s cry;
But when 'tis out and all things righted, God is forgotten and the firemen slighted."
The Fireman's Journal, 18 Oct 1879
...See More
The late Paul Harvey doing his best to describe why firemen are firemen... sometimes they can't even tell you...
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