Every other day - that's how fast we've been killed in the line of duty during the past three weeks. Let me repeat myself: Since October 24, we've lost a brother or a sister (on average) every other day! As you read this list, please think about what you can do to protect your brothers, your sisters and yourself.

Oct. 24: Wendell Jeffery of the Memphis (Tenn.) Fire Department died in the line of duty after collapsing at the station after a call.

Oct. 25: Franklin Eubanks of the Arlington (Miss.) Volunteer Fire Department died in the line of duty when he collapsed while engaging in fire-suppression operations on a grass fire.

Oct. 25: Capt. Robert Gallardy of the Altoona (Pa.) Fire Department died in the line of duty after being burned in a training fire on Oct. 23.

Oct. 26: Walter Sykes of the Lewiston (Calif.) Volunteer Fire Department died in the line of duty at a structure fire after reporting that he wasn't feeling well.

Nov. 4: Capt. Timothy Parsell of the Collins (N.Y.) Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 died in the line of duty while getting ready to respond to an EMS call.

Nov. 5: James Webb Jr. of the Bynum (Miss.) Volunteer Fire Department died in the line of duty while responding to a structure fire. The tanker he was driving overturned.

Nov. 5: Eduardo Teran of the Riverside (Calif.) Fire Department died in the line of duty when he collapsed after exiting a structure fire to change his SCBA cylinder.

Nov. 7: Timmy Shane Hardy of the Neosho (Mo.) Fire Department died in the line of duty while operating at a structure fire.

Nov. 8: Chief Brian Pugh of the Portland (Ore.) International Airport Fire Department died in the line of duty two days after suffering an on-duty stroke.

Nov. 10: Chief Ken Mitchell of the Tull (Ark.) Volunteer Fire Department died in the line of duty at a structure fire while sitting in his vehicle.

Nov. 12: Kevin Foster of the Ellerslie (Ga.) Volunteer Fire Department died in the line of duty when he ran off the road and struck a tree while returning from a call in a tanker.

Nov. 12: Chief Max Willard of the Oakwood (Va.) Volunteer Fire Department died in the line of duty while operating at a wildland fire.

Every other day for the past three weeks... If we continue this pace, 21 more of us will die before the annual line-of-duty-deaths tally starts again.

So far this year, 93 of have died in the line of duty. This is an average of one every 3.4 days. Why so many in the past three weeks? To learn about these incidents or to read and learn from close calls, please check out www.FirefighterCloseCalls.com.

What are you going to do to keep yourself, your brothers and your sisters safe this week? Think about it.

FireRescue Technical Editor Scott Cook welcomes reader feedback, and invites you to contribute your notes to his column on firefighter ingenuity and street wisdom. You can reach Scott by e-mail at scott.cook1@sbcglobal.net.