Originally I had another piece written for this weeks article, but after reading Douglas Gantenbein’s article at the Slate (http://slate.msn.com/id/2090573/) I decided I had to respond.
For those of you who haven’t read his article, Mr. Gantenbein took multiple low blows at firefighters, and stated to “Stop calling firefighter’s heroes.” His analysis that firefighting is a ‘cushy’ job, we are all adrenaline junkies, and that we are just another public interest group with good propoganda, seemed to miss the point that 75 percent of the United States is served by volunteers.
While it may be true that paid firefighters work 24-hour shifts with 48 hours off, Volunteers are always volunteers. I’d like Mr. Gantenbein to just once have to leave work, or the family gathering to go and help his neighbor. Just once, he should have to wake up out of a sound sleep at 3 am, knowing he has to be at work at 6. Just once I’d like to see him put his life on the line for nothing more then the satisfaction of helping his community.
I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy the adrenaline rush, and would love to ‘save the day’, but how about the large percentage of unglamorous calls that we go to on a daily basis. If we were in it just for the adrenaline rush, then why would we help our neighbors with their flooded basement, or leave our paying job to answer another b.s. fire alarm?
Mr. Gantebein further says that firefighting isn’t that dangerous, and that command screw ups are to blame for firefighting deaths. How about all the firefighters hit by motor vehicles, or the ones who are trapped in faulty construction? How about the firefighter that risks his or her life to save Mr. Gantebein, but ends up getting injured and cannot do his ‘day job’?
Mr. Gantebein has obviously never lost a brother firefighter and felt what it is like to lay your brethren to rest. His statement that we cause a “spectacle” with a line of duty death goes to show that he has no respect for human life or the sacrifice we make. For some firefighting might be a job, but for us volunteers, it is a devotion to the public good.
He seems to miss that while the ‘big city’ firefighters may get the press, the small city volunteers protect most of the US. He also misses that we are spending our weekends handing out raffle tickets, flipping pancakes, and running bingos to fund our departments and make fire protection available to our communities.
How about the departments across the U.S. who do not have adequate fire equipment, and must brave the flames with nothing more then their street clothes? How about the firefighters who end up with cancer or injuries that stop them from providing for their families?
Wanna see a hero? Come with me the next time the bell rings at 3 a.m. I’ll show you men who would put Mr. Gantebein to shame. Before you start taking shots at the people who may be saving your life, you might want to think about it.
Many people take fire service for granted. While in some cities there may be ‘cushy’ jobs, in most of the US, if the volunteers didn’t show up, you’d be out of luck. Volunteers not only invest their time to respond to calls but also to do training, meetings, public service, and the many other commitments we have.
Think again, probably the only hero greater then a volunteer firefighter would be their family. Anyone who has had to deal with a volunteer in his or her family knows what I’m talking about. I know my fiance has stayed up many nights waiting to see if I will come home safe. I know my whole family has had functions interrupted by fire calls. Wanna see real sacrifice? Look at a volunteer and his family. The real heroes are out there, and not just behind a keyboard at Slate.
Comment on this article at http://www.volunteerfd.org/phorum/read.php?f=20&i=8&t=8