Firefighters are family
Michael J. Tuberdyke
Truck 11
Buffalo (NY) Fire Department
In no other profession in the world is the sense of brotherhood more evident than in firefighting. Each day we touch each other`s lives in many different ways, sometimes unknowingly. Once you become a firefighter, you join a family that dates back generations with a long, proud, and sometimes tragic history.
Like those who came before us, we swore to protect life and property–the lives and property of people we don`t know or may never see again once our job is done. I sometimes think we forget just how remarkable that really is. Everything we read tells us that firefighter safety should be our first priority. Still, each day and each night, that “priority” is left at the window or door as firefighters enter yet another structure fully charged with smoke and heat in an attempt to search for life and extinguish flames.
Like a family, we share in each other`s difficulties, hopes, and dreams. Together we become frustrated with a “system” that seems to have no direction or, worse, one that is moving in the wrong direction. As brothers and sisters, we laugh a lot together, argue, fight, and mourn at the loss of one of our own. In the end, we`re always there to lift each other up and carry on.
No one outside the fire service really understands what we do or why we do it. When we try to explain it to them, no matter how diligent our attempt, it somehow always falls short of the true essence of what being a firefighter is all about. I don`t know why that is. Maybe at times we don`t understand it ourselves, or perhaps the average citizens are just content in knowing that we will always be there for them whenever they need us. Commitment, dedication, courage are three words that immediately come to mind when someone says, “I`m a firefighter”–a member of one family willing to answer the call regardless of its nature.
I attended the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis in March. I met firefighters there from all over our nation and other countries. Once again, they proved to me that the fire service is a family. It grows with each new probie and improves with the exchange of knowledge and experience. The commitment to excellence in the fire service was evident everywhere I went. I wish to thank all those involved in presenting the FDIC and bringing this tremendous resource of knowledge together so all may benefit from it.
As firefighters, one of our basic goals is to extinguish fires. There is, however, one fire that should never be extinguished–the fire within each of us that drives our desire to improve not only ourselves but each other as well, and ultimately our departments. Don`t be satisfied with the status quo. Change the things that need to be changed. Tap the expertise in your department for the benefit of all. Educate yourself, and share that knowledge with others. Train until your actions become second nature to you, but train properly and train physically.
Most importantly, take care of each other out there! On firegrounds everywhere, we depend on each other–and rightly so. After all, who else is there? Not everyone can say he is a member of this unique family. I feel proud and privileged to be a member of this family and a part of the “Brotherhood of Firefighters.” Stay safe.
