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Posted by Russ Roth [67.150.121.148] on Monday, August 30, 2010 at 12:35:03 :
In Reply to: Thank you Jonas and all firemen posted by Keith in Washington [24.41.41.111] on Monday, August 30, 2010 at 10:51:10 :
Keith,
I started a post last night mentioning some of those things but then let it go. I appreciate your thoughts.
I may have been driving a semi when I met you but my career for 27 years was as a firefighter. In that time I am guessing we probably saved at least a dozen people on calls I was personally on. Not me personally but as a team. I spent most of time on the burning roofs. I'm not including car wrecks and other emergencies.
Now, how much do you think those people would think we should be paid?????? Can't put money on your life and that includes the firefighters that run into a burning building that everyone else is running out of. Think 911 on that one for sure.
Shortly before I retired I was blown out the front door of a house due to a filled propane cylinder inside suddenly venting. That was an unwelcome surprise but I did not get injured. A couple others received minor injuries including my partner who got his ears singed. He did not have his Nomex hood on correctly.
I recall pumping at a church rectory fire many years ago when I was the ONLY FF outside other than the BC in command. Rod said he would have called a third alarm on that except we already had a 5th alarm downtown and did not have resources for it. I literally stood outside and prayed for those guys inside because I really thought we were going to lose someone.
I was also on the 6th and NE Davis fire that made Drama in Real Life in the Readers Digest. Squad 1 requested they be allowed to stay after we got orders to evacuate the building. They had a kid stuck in a freight elevator. They did get him out but that was another time I did a lot of praying. I thought we would surely lose the kid and maybe the crew but they got him. That was the finest hour for PFB that I personally saw in my career.
What do you suppose that was worth to that young man? Those guys really stepped up to the plate on that one.
RR