If you are reading this, you most likely already know about the massive explosion in West, Texas. You’ve probably seen the video and watched for updates of the missing firefighters.
And, like me, you are probably hoping like all hell that the actual number of line of duty deaths is at the low end of the reported estimates. Early reports are that there were seven firefighter fatalities and four medics who died.
As saddened as I am over the loss of life in injury to responders, I’m in awe of the dedication of those volunteers who answered the first tone and those who came from surrounding communities after it all broke loose.
I’m in awe of those volunteers who responded to the surrounding area tending to the wounded. Their efforts are nothing short of inspirational.
In times of great tragedy, those on both sides of the political divide like to say that we are all Americans. Likewise, whether career, combination or volunteer, today we are all firefighters.
Tomorrow, we will learn from the incident and its response. We’ll learn about incident planning, mutual aid, response and incident command as it applied to West, Texas. But today we mourn for our fallen brothers.