What are Firefighters

What are Firefighters?
They're the people next door.
They've got the sharp memories of children who
never got over the excitement
of engines and sirens and smoke and danger.
They're people like you and me
with warts and worries and unfulfilled dreams.
Yet, they stand taller than most of us.
They're firefighters.

They put it all on the line when the bell rings.
A firefighter is at once the most fortunate
and the least fortunate of people.
They savor life because they have seen too much death.
They're gentle because they have seen too much of the
awesome power of violent forces out of control.
They're responsive to a child's laughter because
their arms have held too many small bodies
that will never laugh again.

They appreciate the simple pleasures of life...
hot coffee held in numbed, unbending fingers...
the flush of fresh air pumping through smoke
and fire convulsed lungs... a warm bed for
bone and muscle compelled beyond feeling...
the camaraderie of brave men and women...
the divine peace of selfless service and
a job well done in the name of all people.

They don't wear buttons or wave flags or
shout obscenities, and when they march,
it is to honor a fallen comrade.

They don't preach the brotherhood of man.
They live it.

-Author unknown