Last month when we ran 10 things you’ll feel when you walk out the firehouse for the last time, we had so many great comments that we had to follow-up with a second round of responses.
One Facebook reader said it best by explaining the sadness of leaving and relief of never thinking that the next time the bell rings could be your last.
Like anything else hard in life, we move on and adapt.
Below are a handful of responses and please keep the comments coming.
1.“I was the last of my family to leave. The rest had either passed on or moved out of the district. When I left after 42 years, it was a sad and lonely experience. Every time I see a rig now where I live I smile, wave and say to myself I remember those days. They were good times and bad, sad and happy. I’m glad I had the opportunity to serve and protect my community and meet a lot of great men and women.” — Skip Todd
2.“I cried. I was raised around fire trucks, a fifth generation firefighter and only female. I was there for 10 years, and had to give up because of an accident. You can take the girl out of the firehouse but you can’t take the firehouse out of the girl.” — Staci Giel
3.“For me it was like the final chapter to a fantastic action/love story coming to an end. It was exciting for me after 30 years. I left having made a difference on the job and in the lives of my brothers and sisters. It reminded me of when I left my home and family when I got married. I was sad to leave, but a new life and new book was starting.” — Carlton R Crawley
4.“I retired in 2005 after serving a community for 31 years. Emptying my office was a chore; it’s amazing the things that collect over the years. Parting with your family that always gave 100 percent and always had your back was the hardest part. I’ll always have the memories of pranks played, the lives saved, the close calls, and those calls that gave me bad dreams. I do still maintain contact with many of my brothers and sisters of the fire service, but it was time to hang up the bunkers and be content with all of this being an integral part of molding me into who I am today.” — Doug Swing
5.“It’s a mix of strong emotions that’s difficult to explain. You have the sadness of leaving the greatest job in the world, leaving brothers and sisters you’ve shared everything with. There is the feeling of relief that you don’t have to deal with late night runs, the thought that the next time the bell rings could be your last. Then there is the feeling of looking forward to the next chapter in your life. It is difficult, but like everything else, we adapt and move on.” — Ken Henke
6.“It is very heartbreaking and you just kind of stand there staring in amazement of all the things you learned from first opening the building door, to putting the key in the ignition, to putting gear on, to the sound of the siren ... and then the tears fall down your cheeks.” — Melody Kinney-Hollenbach
7.“It was the deepest sorrow I have ever experienced. The loss of that part of my life left a hole in my gut that took years to mend.” — Jennifer R. Leech
8.“I’m not going to do it. They will be carrying me out in a box.” — Bill Skelaney
9.“The most difficult thing is realizing that the old body housing the invincible 25-year-old in our mind is not able to do everything we were once able to.” — John Sposato
10.“Sad but confident that I had achieved some positive change. I will miss my other family for the rest of my life, but I am proud to know that others will carry the responsibilities and dedication forward. I hope I had some effect on those I leave and that stories will outlive my realities.” — Ken Gaskin
