!['“Heroes Remembered”
They woke up that morning
Not knowing it'd be their last
They fought that fire aggressively
But it turned on them, just way too fast
They went out heroes
The bravest a man can go
Many will try to understand
But still, they’ll never really know
How it feels to lose a brother
Even one you've never met
Bonded by a love for the job
And living life, with no regrets
Their fire burns within us
They're with us at each and every call
Pushing us to do better
Reminding us to always give it our all
They've never truly left us
They're in all of us along
They’re the pride after a job well done
The sense of danger… when something's wrong
So smile at the life they lived
Wipe your tears and dry your eyes
The legacy of these brave men lives on
A hero remembered… never dies
Poem by: “Brotherhood of Fire” fan and frequent contributor Firefighter Ana-Maria Garcia who wrote this poem in memory of the 19 brothers lost in Yarnell, Arizona on June 30, 2013.
The Yarnell Hill Fire was a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona, ignited by lightning on June 28, 2013.
On June 30, it overran and killed 19 City of Prescott firefighters, members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. The wildfire was fully contained by July 10, 2013.
This event resulted in the highest wildland firefighter death toll in the United States since the 1933 Griffith Park Fire killed 29 firefighters, and the highest death toll from any U.S. wildfire since the 1991 East Bay Hills fire killed 25 people.
It is the sixth deadliest American firefighter disaster overall and the deadliest wildfire ever in Arizona history.
Gone but NEVER FORGOTTEN:
Ashcraft, Andrew - Age: 29
Caldwell, Robert - Age: 23
Carter, Travis - Age: 31
Deford, Dustin - Age: 24
MacKenzie, Christopher - Age: 30
Marsh, Eric - Age: 43
McKee, Grant - Age: 21
Misner, Sean - Age: 26
Norris, Scott - Age: 28
Parker, Wade - Age: 22
Percin, John - Age: 24
Rose, Anthony - Age: 23
Steed, Jesse - Age: 36
Thurston, Joe - Age: 32
Turbyfill, Travis - Age: 27
Warneke, William - Age: 25
Whitted, Clayton - Age: 28
Woyjeck, Kevin - Age: 21
Zuppiger, Garret - Age: 27
Rest in Peace Brothers
Until we all meet again back at base camp…
“Brotherhood Strong”
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/p110x80/19020_978589335508057_2442833202294410870_n.jpg?oh=13cc8897cd016d875985116637b1d968&oe=5618F797)
!['* Stop expecting firefighters to save your homes.
"Asking firefighters to risk their lives to save unprepared homes from the most volatile blazes is like asking the National Guard to control a hurricane. It’s negligent.
Even still, firefighters want to help people and put their training to use, and it can be hard for these brave men and women to recognize the limits of their abilities.
In the aftermath [of the Yarnell Hill Fire, some of the 127 homeowners who lost their houses during that blaze sued the State of Arizona for failing to protect the town.
The judge threw out the lawsuit, and in doing so also gave active support to the RARELY SPOKEN TRUTH that firefighters simply cannot stop the highest intensity fires.
We’re witnessing that reality now more than ever."
Kyle Dickman
(Former wildland firefighter and author of a just released book about the Yarnell Hill Fire on which 19 firefighters were killed).
Mr. Dickman’s book is titled "On The Burning Edge: A Fateful Fire and the Men Who Fought It."
We will NEVER FORGET the @[631937230150376:274:Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots] Y19 + 1
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/p110x80/11707689_978301495536841_3218611525523859703_n.jpg?oh=142fc300ec7d521f8e6553937b8a8cc4&oe=56232353)
!['"Air Attack"
Submitted by "Brotherhood of Fire" fan Brent Cahoon
Photographer Antonio Grambone, 46, captured the incredible image of this forest fire in the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano in the province of Salerno in Italy.
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/p118x118/1962655_978300462203611_3462516902112591644_n.jpg?oh=99b5ece8b5831d229e3c0493848c0336&oe=5627AE9D)
!['"The Hotshot Prayer"
When I am called to duty, Lord
To fight the roaring blaze
Please keep me safe and strong
I may be here for days.
Be with my fellow crew members,
as we hike up to the top.
Help us cut enough line,
For this blaze we must stop.
Let my skills and hands
be firm and quick.
Let me find those safety zones,
as we hit and lick.
For if this day on the line,
I should lose my life,
Lord, bless my Hotshot Crew,
my children and my WIFE.
~ Patricia Huston, IHC Wife
Strong words Patricia!
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]
Photo credit: Unknown'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/p110x80/11692567_978265942207063_8280937689246913114_n.jpg?oh=c9cc6132fca094f6e37cb67a86e1b41b&oe=56305BAB)
!['I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
Nomex on, boots laced tight, packs on right, and heads held high. We all lined out, with a nod of the head, and the statement “moving”, from up ahead.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers, Girlfriends, Boyfriends, Husbands, and Wives. All alike want to know why, but how can we ever begin to describe. That what they see as being rough, we rise to the challenge and hope to be tough.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
Some claim we are heroes, others claim we destroy. We just go fight those fires, through all the sweat and pain. Fourteen to Twenty-one days we can roll, with little sleep and a fire out of control.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
Over the radio the tone goes out, we know it is time and soon we are in route. We hike up the mountain with tools in hand. We come down the mountain and back to camp again.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
We've kicked back at times and had a few beers. We've laughed in chow line, and joked among our peers. I will never forget those many days, we took for granted and called each other names.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
We have learned a lot over the years, we have befriended many throughout our careers. And as crazy as it all may be, we have become a sort of family. I keep in mind all those many times; you came to my rescue and saved my behind.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
I’ll see you again someday real soon, though I will pray safe travels for you. I will miss the times we spent together, the memories shared and the moments treasured.
I saw you just yesterday, when it was just another day.
I saw you just yesterday, before your life was taken away.
Author: Jessica Koster
We will NEVER FORGET the brave Y19 + 1
Rest in Peace Yarnell Brothers 19
LODD June 30, 2013
"Brotherhood Strong"
@[187557941277871:274:Brotherhood of Fire]'](https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/p118x90/11698742_978259052207752_5699034745124118893_n.jpg?oh=8793a4919d4349ee9806ad67865c820c&oe=562A9578)
!['"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/p110x80/10354747_976512102382447_6182515058855039160_n.jpg?oh=33eb1bead58832f2bdf453910a25eef5&oe=561FC9B0)
!['“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/p110x80/1468594_976134289086895_7042841111509702480_n.jpg?oh=3197491a6553e4a1d32372623026aba8&oe=56180369)
Brotherhood of Fire shared their photo.
"Footprints in the Black"
Through the black I walk
Sharpened shovel in my hand
The wind so slight drifts through...
See MoreSharpened shovel in my hand
The wind so slight drifts through...
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