Kudos to the Mesa Fire Department on earning the first Emmy Award ever bestowed on a fire department.
I don’t know about you, but I found this story truly inspirational. We are used to reading about firefighters’ heroic acts of courage, often at great personal sacrifice, on fires and emergency incidents.
We are all aware that a well-trained and technically proficient team of firefighters is often the difference between life and death for those we serve. And we all know too many of our brothers and sisters who have been killed or injured in this noble cause.
But what about the unsung heroes who focus their efforts on fire prevention and life-safety education? In our stations on open house day, during street fairs and other events, in school classrooms across the nation, and even through (in this case award-winning) television ads and other media placements, the contributions these folks make toward protecting our communities is, quite literally, immeasurable.
Over the course of my career, some of the most committed and creative people I’ve met in our business are the public fire- and life-safety educators. While many start (or continue working) as firefighters, others become immersed in our mission through other paths.
But they, like all of us, are dedicated to protecting our neighbors, businesses, and, as in this story, children from water, fire and the many other hazards to which we must too often respond.
So, as we start wrapping-up Fire Prevention Month for this year, let’s give a shout out to all the people who focus their, and hopefully our, attention on prevention, 24/7/365.
Stay safe!
