"I Wish You Could"
I wish you could see the sadness of a business man as his livelihood goes up in flames or that family returning home, only to find their house and belongings damaged or destroyed.
I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen beneath you burns.
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!['"I Wish You Could"
I wish you could see the sadness of a business man as his livelihood goes up in flames or that family returning home, only to find their house and belongings damaged or destroyed.
I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen beneath you burns.
I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror at 3 am, as I check her husband of forty years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway hoping against hope to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done.
I wish you could know the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of cracking flames and the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke.
I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire, is this a false alarm or a working "breathing" fire? How is the building constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?
I wish you could be there when the EMS squad pronounces dead the beautiful little five year old girl who did not make it out of the fire. She will never be able to say "I love you Mommy" again.
I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, the driver with his foot pressed down hard on the gas pedal, my arm tugging again & again on the air horn as you fail to yield right of way at the intersection, however when you need us, your first comment on our arrival will be "it took you forever to get here!"
I wish you could read my thoughts as I help extricate a teenage girl from the mangled remains of her automobile. What if this was my sister, my girlfriend or a friend? What was her parent's reaction, when they opened the door to find a police officer standing there with hat in hand?
I wish you could know how it feels to come home and greet my family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly lost my life today.I wish you could feel my hurt as people verbally and sometimes physically abuse us or belittle us for what we do or as they express their attitudes of "It will never happen to me."
I wish you could realize the physical, emotional & mental drain of missed meals, lost sleep & forgone social activities in addition to all of the tragedies my eyes have viewed.I wish you could know the brotherhood and self satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property or being there in times of crisis, or creating order from total CHAOS.
I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tug on your arm and ask "is my mommy okay?" Not even being able to look in his eyes without tears falling from your own & not knowing what to say.
Or to hold back a long time friend who watches his buddy have CPR performed as they take him away in the ambulance, knowing that he was not wearing his seatbelt. (A sensation I have become too familiar with).
Until you have lived this kind of life, you will never truly understand or appreciate who I am, what I am, what we are, or what our job means to us...
I wish you could.
Author: Unknown
Photo Credit: Beau Friday
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/p118x90/10354747_976512102382447_6182515058855039160_n.jpg?oh=f517c08c66edf12eb368059086a24bfd&oe=55E78E30)
!['“You have to do something in your life that is honorable and not cowardly if you are to live in peace with yourself, and for the firefighter it is fire.“ ~ Larry Brown
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
#FresnoFire
Photo: Fresno Firefighter Luke Cornaggia
Credit: Fresno Firefighter Matthew Silva'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p118x90/1468594_976134289086895_7042841111509702480_n.jpg?oh=9460aa2b1369dcd2f569bf2c9338fc6c&oe=561614D4)
!['"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo: Teddy Roney
@[216804018439790:274:313FirePhotography]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/p118x118/11350465_973985349301789_1526112033228322486_n.jpg?oh=9a0bf46de74a767d200d65367d4bee0d&oe=561A3312)
!['"The most important thing in the world is family and love." - John Wooden
Happy Father's Day 2015
Stay safe and be strong!
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p118x118/10488143_973768105990180_1972738666551686081_n.jpg?oh=5e3cfd47e7e408023a0a636511ac76b9&oe=55E8E278)
!['The Card Street Fire near Sterling, Alaska is still officially tabbed at zero-percent contained, but most evacuation notices have been lifted.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough made a local disaster declaration Thursday night to get help with relief efforts.
The fire continues to push away from homes and into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
The Card Street Fire in the #1 priority fire in the nation right now.
Allbee Type 2 Incident Management Team is current assigned to the incident.
Photo Credit: Kenai-Kodiak DOF
Post credit: @[112662472124565:274:National Interagency Fire Center]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/q86/s168x128/10369173_972932546073736_7508552794724554643_n.jpg?oh=680b6a53cf5e3dc2b6f1bf8393de6b35&oe=5632EFB3)
!['What is a firefighter worth?
There has been so much talk recently about things like containing costs, lowering taxes, and those who work in public safety being overpaid - particularly firefighters - that it could make your head spin.
We've all done the "simple math," crunched the numbers, and it all seems to boil down to a simple question. What are firefighters worth?
I guess that depends. We live in a country that seems to have forgotten what our priorities are. A man can be a skilled athlete who happens to throw and catch a football well, and make millions and millions of dollars to do so. And we as a society are not only OK with that, but we gather in front of our televisions and cheer that man on.
Meanwhile, a firefighter kisses his children goodbye before every shift knowing the harsh reality that it very well could be the last time he will see them, and he is fighting tooth and nail for decent health coverage and substantial pay to support those children.
He is the man that you call when your elderly father has a stroke.
He is the person that will extract your 16-year-old son from a mangled vehicle on the highway in the middle of the night.
He is the person that will be there in a heartbeat when your newborn infant stops breathing.
He is the person who is exposed to countless dangerous scenarios and has seen horrific things during his career that would psychologically haunt most of us for the rest of our lives.
We trust him to save our homes and belongings in the event of a disastrous fire, and we trust him to keep us breathing and our hearts beating when we face our most critical moments.
What is he worth to you?
He sometimes will go days without sleep, and make life altering decisions on every call he shows up to.
He has missed family meals, bedtime stories, Christmas mornings, school plays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving dinners, and his own children's birthdays.
We all know that life is so very short, and firefighters sacrifice precious time with the most important people in their lives to save the lives of the most important people in yours.
And now they have to defend and protect their pensions, well deserved health benefits, and their paychecks.
It has been proposed by some that they lose many of their benefits, and work extra shifts that they will not be compensated for.
There seems to be a serious misconception that firefighters are in it for the monetary gain, and more and more often have been portrayed in a negative light for actually expecting to be compensated for the sacrifices that they make to do their job. For an individual that has chosen this selfless career, it begs the question: Is it worth it?
Most of us are willing to pay a little extra for something if it is important to us, whether it be the shoes we wear, the doctor we choose to treat us, or even the cup of coffee we drink.
It is something that we value, therefore it is worth the cost.
Most would agree that our safety and protection is of immeasurable value.
Those of us that are skilled in math may look at the numbers and think that stripping those who serve our public of their way to earn a decent living is an answer to a financial equation.
But firefighters and their families are not numbers on a piece of paper. They are human beings that are doing their jobs every day to the best of their ability, and possibly sacrificing their own lives for the life of a stranger. Not many of us in our right mind would do that for free, and no one should have to.
So before making our minds up that firefighters are the financial problem, sit down with a local firefighter and ask him about his job.
Ask him about his wife and his sons or daughters, what kind of house he lives in, and what type of car he drives. And then ask yourself, if you were to take on such a career, what would you expect in return?
Tina Clarke
(Proud wife of a Cumberland, RI Firefighter)
Originally published: 2/2012
Strong words Tina!
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo from: @[310813728988958:274:Truckie-Talk]
Credit: Capt. Jim Payne, Baltimore City Fire'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/p118x90/11537239_969024209797903_3760476740113135094_n.jpg?oh=ce2dd0f3f0d26f9979dbf764b4233ad9&oe=5629AB50)
!['The City of New York has been a target for terrorists since its beginnings.
Pictured here:
On Sept. 16, 1920, terrorists bombed Wall Street using 100 lbs. of dynamite in a horse-drawn carriage.
Thirty-eight people were killed and hundreds wounded.
We will NEVER FORGET
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo from: @[304603755728:274:New York City Fire Department (FDNY)]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p118x118/21015_968867139813610_6566639651368415402_n.jpg?oh=d5e47951a2e1d2e617e58102c6112e6b&oe=561B1C18)
!['The Watervliet Fire Department in New York paid special tribute to an extraordinary member of its crew Wednesday, June 10, 2015.
Thomas “Chief Mack” Mackey was born with Down Syndrome, but he never let his disability get in the way of his dedication to the fire station.
“Tom Mackey – Chief Mack – was a great guy, and he would kid with anybody,” Mackey’s brother-in-law Bob Mirch said. “It didn’t matter if you were the local sanitation manager or the president of the United States, if you said ‘Hello’ to Chief Mack, he’d take a jab at ya.”
Mackey got his start at the Watervliet Fire Department over 20 years ago when he showed up unannounced looking to help. He quickly earned the title ‘Chief Mack’ while serving under five different fire chiefs.
In 2007, Mayor Mike Manning and then-Fire Chief Clickner gave Mackey a part-time custodial job at the fire department.
“And boy that made him feel 10 feet tall,” Mirch said. “It was one of the best things that ever happened to him in his life.”
Our Brother Mackey passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 7th, 2015 surrounded by family in his Troy, NY home.
Full story with video here:
http://news10.com/2015/06/10/watevliet-fb-mourns-loss-of-irreplaceable-team-member/
Tommy will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
Rest in Peace “Chief Mack”
Thanks for helping make the “Brotherhood Strong”
Until we all meet again on the “Top Floor”
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Post submitted by “Brotherhood of Fire” fan Sam Morgan
Post credit: news10.com'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/p118x90/11401383_968805223153135_7599149682278970361_n.jpg?oh=ec281d04fdd27a17d833fa5dd3030c68&oe=5622B39D)
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