I was recently doing some yard work when I looked across the street and saw an elderly gentleman fall at the corner store. He had been walking up the stairs and must have lost his footing, but was somehow holding himself horizontally half way up the stairs on the railing. It appeared he was ready to continue his fall head first into the concrete.
It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing, but then I took off running. I came up behind the gentleman, grabbed him and lifted him to his feet, keeping him from falling head first. His wife, who was standing at the top of the stairs and had watched the entire scene, looked at me and said, “Where did you come from?”
As the gentleman and his wife were thanking me profusely, I explained that I was a volunteer firefighter and a paramedic and that I was just trying to help. The siren had not gone off and there was no run number or fire truck, but to the couple I had saved the gentleman’s life. It was at that moment that I remembered why I volunteer — to help others. The problem is that we often lose sight of why we volunteer as it is clouded by statistics, run forms, incentive plans, requirements and all of the “numbers.”
I have always used a saying by author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar to guide my life: “You can have everything in life you want if you can just help enough other people get what they want.” When we forget why we are volunteering, it becomes a job rather than something we enjoy or something that makes us feel good — and the result is lost members.
Many have said that they would have no recruitment problems if there were more working fires. And it’s fair to say we have actually been successful in bringing down the number of fires and critical incidents, which may have caused our members to lose focus. I am NOT suggesting we need more fires, but we need to be aware that some of the thrill may have gone out of the service. It’s fair to say we may need to remind them of the reason why we volunteer. The question is how do we keep volunteers interested and show them why they are here? The answer is to take pride in the small things we do and the differences we make in each person’s life.
To me, catching the gentleman may not have been a monumental task, but to him it was. If a bystander had caught him it may even have been newsworthy but since it was just “another volunteer” it is considered part of my duty to the public. Some may say that volunteers should not need to be patted on the shoulder but it is about time we did just that.
We need a constant reminder that what we do every day is save lives. We make an impact on every person we help and that is why we volunteer. We do not volunteer for $5 a call or for some retirement plan. We volunteer so that when people are in need they can expect help. We volunteer to give back to the communities we live and work in. We just need to remember that.
Where did I come from? I came from the proud tradition of volunteering and helping others. I continue to believe that volunteers are the backbone of the United States and that it is in the simple random acts of kindness that we make a difference. While I may not have as much time to volunteer as I once did, I still take pride in the small acts and I hope you do too.