I am a volunteer firefighter here in CT. Someone sent this to me and it brought a tear to my eye. I wanted to share it with you'all.


"I Wish You Could Know"

I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children at 3 AM, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen below you burns.

I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror at 6 in the morning as I check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done to try to save his life.

I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke-sensations that I've become too familiar with.

I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire "Is this false alarm or a working fire? How is the building constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to call, "What is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or life-threatening? Is the caller really in distress or is he waiting for us with a 2x4 or a gun?"

I wish you could be in the emergency room as a doctor pronounces dead the beautiful five-year old girl that I have been trying to save during the past
25 minutes. Who will never go on her first date or say the words, "I love you Mommy" again.

I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, squad, or my personal vehicle, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic.

When you need us however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here!"

I wish you could know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the remains of her automobile. "What if this was my daughter, sister, my girlfriend or a friend? What were her parents reaction going to be when they opened the door to find a police officer with hat in hand?"

I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call.

I wish you could know how it feels dispatching officers, firefighters and EMT's out and when we call for them and our heart drops because no one answers back or to here a bone chilling 911 call of a child or wife needing assistance.

I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally, and sometimes physically, abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes of "It will never happen to me.

I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental drain or missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have seen.

I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property, or being able to be there in time of crisis, or creating order from total chaos.

I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging at your arm and asking, "Is Mommy okay?" Not even being able to look in his eyes without tears from your own and not knowing what to say.

Or to have to hold back a long time friend who watches his buddy having CPR done on him as they take him away in the Medic Unit. You know all along he did not have his seat belt on. A sensation that I have become too familiar with.

Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never truly understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job really means to us...I wish you could though.
* author unknown *

APPRECIATE AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL EMS WORKERS, 911 DISPATCHERS, FIREFIGHTERS, and LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN YOUR AREA. ONE DAY THEY'LL MAY BE SAVING YOUR PROPERTY OR YOUR OWN LIFE. WHEN YOU SEE THEM COMING WITH LIGHTS FLASHING, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY QUICKLY, THEN PRAY FOR THEM.

 

I've been a Volunteer firefighter in NJ for 12 years.. I've been through a few of those. Thanks for sharing..

 

i am a part time firefighter/EMT-B and sometimes this would come in handy when people won't get out of my way while trying to get to a call, or when my neighbors come complain about me making to much noise at 2am... sorry i am worriing about bigger things.

thanks for sharing that, i know what it feels like to have those thoughts and experiances. heart breaking at times.

 

Right there is yet another perfect definition of a hero to me. This is a field that not everyone, in fact, very few could handle day in and day out. I will be moving from this area by spring and one of the first things I plan on doing upon reaching my new residence is signing up for the volunteer courses as a firefighter. I have known many and lost a few. Thank you for sharing that with us, Subdude. It's a great reminder of what happens every single day in the lives of these strong people. My handshake and salute go out to any that follow in these footsteps. On the same token, I do not hold it against anyone who can't or won't. The emotional toll is one of the heaviest. But we should all support and respect those that take on this awesome responsibilty, whether it be through donations or a simple wave when they go by. Smiles do wonders, especially after experiencing horrors. So remember to smile as they weave their way through traffic and let them past, they are on their way to saving one, if not many, lives.

 

What a cool story. Having been a volunterr myself. I identify. Fortunately, my neighbors were grateful.

 

I'm a little suprised at the response to this. I expected a little more. All who answered are people who do it or will in the near future. Maybe this will spark a little discussion. I agree that 9-11 was a tragic incident and it is sad to see police and fellow fire/EMS workers killed for no reason at all. But what about the thousands of emergency workers that are killed every year just doing their job?

"I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call."

That line hits home all to often for us, and it takes a hi exposure event to wake up the people of america to the fact that people risk their lives everyday to save, serve and protect.

My biggest heartache is the American flag and the FDNY / NYPD stickers I now see everywhere. I don't begrudge them or their families anything. It was a really S**ty hand they got dealt. But how many times a week or even a day do you hear sirens. Ever wonder how many of those guys arent going home after that call?
You want to show your support, go to your local fire or police station and ask to buy a hat, shirt, or sticker from them!

I just want to know where you people were hiding. Why do you have to see it on tv to acknowledge the fact that people risk their lives everyday to save lives?

FACT:

Verry little of the money you'all spent on flags, flag stickers and other 9-11 stuff went to the victims and emergency workers families.

GrapeGravy said it all when he wrote
"This is a field that not everyone, in fact, very few could handle day in and day out."

If you can then give it a shot, if you can't then wave or smile when they drive by, or toot the horn when you drive by the station. Maybe send a donation or even just a thank you card.

But most importantly support your LOCAL emergency services!
They are the ones that ere going to come running when you dial 911...

 

I am a volunteer paramedic and firefighter here in Mobile,AL with Seven Hills Fire Rescue.I just went parttime as an EMD to go work as a full time pmedic.I love my job and though the pay is low could not think of anything else I would rather do.It kills me to answer that 911 line and immediately get yelled at or cussed because we dont pull up immediately,or because the volunteer fire dept isnt there 2 min after we hang up.We disp our own vol ambulances,14 vol fire dept,med calls for one city,and fire and med for another city.It is a great job and nothing like having 7 or 8 calls at once with the helicopter enroute to one, but people can be rude and thankless.I just got off a 12 hour night shift on our vol ambulance with my fiancee who is also a pmedic. We love our jobs, and I love knowing I can handle this and the thanks I get from people.Support your local guys esppecialy the volunteers,because if they are like us, money is tight and equipment is expensive.

 

hero's...they dont measure themselves by their accompolishments but by their defeats, doing their darndest to save one more life and to somehow do more than they are capable of even though they have already given their all and can walk away without shame...

 

I dont think enough praises can be said for our 911 people, and they are certainly special souls. I worked in a hospital for 12 years and got to see a lot of what came in thru the e.r. entrance doors on stretchers. I dont know how they deal with all the human suffering, emotional anguish, and outright dangers they encounter daily... Along the same topic, I will give one of my own personal experiences in reference to the above statement about people being rude and thankless. Two months ago at 2:00 am in the morning, I was awakened by my wife's voice loudly calling my name, in a low monotone pitch. I found her in the kitchen floor, where she was laying flat on her back, couldnt get up, and when I tried to lift her, she would vomit. I called 911, give the info needed, and immediately called her oldest son. The emt's got here in 5 minutes flat, and did all her vitals checks and put her on the stretcher . The elder son was here by then, and was very worried, as well as I. As the two male emt's were putting her in the ambulance, the one in the back told us to follow them to the e.r. I went to my truck and started it up and waited for them to pull out and go. I waited, and waited, and waited, and looked in my rear veiw mirror and all of a sudden her son, jumps out of his car, goes to the back of the ambulance and yanks one of the doors open. With my window down I could hear loud shouting and could see some serious air sketching going on, then slamming of doors. I got out and went to her sons car, and found that he was shaking and furious. He said he was getting ready to go back to the ambulance and yank the emt guy out and give him a Montana butt whoopin'. I talked him down, we all left and went to the e.r. The son told me at the e.r. why he was so mad. He said he felt the emt's were just sitting there in front of our house and letting his mother suffer, so he pulled the back door of the ambulance open to see what was taking them so long, and the emt in the back screeched at him"shut the damn door" !! Now, this elder son is one of the most gentle, laid back guys, you will ever meet. BUT, he didnt know that the tech was busy putting a i.v drip in his mother's arm to help stop the vomiting, while he was yanking the van door open. SO, the moral of the story is I guess, when a loved one is sick or hurt, yes, minutes are hours to them, and the family members are not too rational. But that is a short, temporary scenario when the emt's show up most of the time, and then when it all calms down, hopefully everyone apologizes. We all did that night, and everyone ended up friendly. Thanks again, to all you emts out there, YOU are so very appreciated. When you are called to the scene of the emergency, the people/person that called, usually are not rational enough to show or tell you that. And later, after everything gets calmed down , you guys/gals are usually on another run, and we cant find you to say "thanks", cheers to you all

 

To everone who does this kind of work:

Thank you.

 

im a career fireman and a paramedic. its nice to get thanks from people but, its not really nessassary. being able to go do a job that i love and get to help people is thanks enough. its a really cool poem though. thanks for sharing it.

 

wow. that brought chills to my spine when i read it.... it's all very true. the searing heat, the physical exaustion... and the mental hardships..

i've been a volly firefighter for 4 years now. LT for one, and for a small department, we've seen some bad accidents, and some really hot fires.. only 1 life lost though, and holding that body bag was one of the hardest things i've done. but no were near as hard as not letting his 18 yo son across the scene tape, and not being able to tell him why...

every time the pager goes off, i have to jump out of bed, leave my meal, leave my family, or leave work, and risk my life, just in the hopes that i can help someone. save thier life, thier house. thier belongings. or even the poor cat in the tree...

nothing can repay us for what we do... but nothing beats the feeling of a complete family, hugging each other, and crying in happyness, because you and your crew were there to save their lives....

a little side note.
I want to send out a little note to my crew, you guys are great, and make my job easy.. thanks to everyone who's in this line of work.... or hobby .

 

I am not a firefighter but same types of sentiments just different circumstances......I have though been in burning buildings without the advantage of bunker gear. Nothing like having you plastic Duty Belt items melt to your leather belt.





Rest Easy my friends...You are truly missed........

 

We have a lot of friends who are volunteer firemen. We have been very fortunate in that all of them are still here. We live 2 doors down from the fire dept. and support them however we can. It's usually something small, like buying their raffle tickets or going to firehall suppers and carnivals, but I would rather do that than buy baseball tickets and help pay players' outrageous salaries. We have a police scanner that Other Bower turns on whenever the fire whistle blows, just so we can listen to "our boys" and make sure everyone is OK. And at the Hallowen parade the other night, she made sure she thanked the chief and crews and gave them candy.
This is a line of work that I'm not sure I could be in, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night after witnessing some of these things. Our thanks goes out to everyone who does it. It's because of you that we CAN sleep at night knowing you are there if we need you.

 

I will have volunteered for HHFD for 11 years in January, and am a SGT. And am Asst. Chief for the ZF Batavia/Ford plant fire dept. which I have been on for 4 years. I have seen and been alot of the situations listed in that poem. I have lost friends and seen others hurt. Some people think we are mearly "playing" when we blow the sirens and flash the lights. A couple of days ago, a new guy at work found out I was a firefighter, and proceeded to tell me several times how he wouldn't help anyone. He doesn't like to help people. I really bit my tongue. I know this isn't for everyone, but, even if you wouldn't lend a hand to someone, don't push the issue with someone who does. It really left a bad taste in my mouth. IMO, people like this are the first ones to cry for help, and then complain because it wasn't fast enough. They are also the first to sue in court. Alot of times, the treatment we get from the public feels like what happened to our troops coming back from Vietnam, although I know there is a big difference. Support you local services, you never know when you might need them. Subdude, thanks for sharing that message.

Bluehawk