I'm not a sentimental person—and I think my wife hates that. But last week I ran into a firefighter friend who I haven't seen in 15 years or so. Seeing him got me thinking about the people in the fire service who have taught me so much over the years.

Like the rest of us, there are too many to list. But seeing Jim again reminded me of the day I met him. It was a basic fire-training drill at a school, and my partner and I found him during a search. We couldn't move him 5 feet. Jim got up and showed us the techniques needed to move him, and we then dragged him out. He, my partner and I "died" during the drill, but the lessons learned that day have stayed with me. Ironically, I ran into Jim last week while I was teaching basic fire-training skills to new firefighters.

The number of people I have had the privilege of serving with and learning from grows every day. Much like when we touch someone's life through our day-to-day operations, there's no way to thank everyone . . . but I am truly thankful.

I am thankful for each and every one of you who drops everything you're doing at a moment's notice to help someone in their time of need. I consider it an honor and a privilege to call those of you reading this my colleagues.

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.