The Fireman I want to be...

Every shift he seeks a way to better himself, his crew, his station, and his truck. Everything outside of that is beyond his control. However, he realizes positive energy is a thousand times more contagious than negativity and he rejoices when like minded warriors step forward.

His crew is his family not his second family. He asks himself every shift "What can I do to make their day better?" He feels guilty when he is not at his best because they deserve nothing less.This sometimes makes him a little dull the night before his shift but outside of his God and his blood kin there isn't anything more important. A full third of their lives are together at work but it doesn't end there. They have a "shared suffering" that creates a bond that can't be explained to an outsider and they don't even bother to try.

He has trouble sleeping at night not because he feels like "the hammer is about to drop" but out of eager expectation and hope that an opportunity will present itself where he can make a difference for someone.

The absolute worse moment out of each 24hr shift, the one that he dreads no matter how many runs they have made, how little sleep they have gotten, is that minute it takes to take his gear from the rig to the rack.

He isn't there yet but every day he is determined to be better every day and won't let anyone or anything stand in his way. 

"The funny thing about firemen is, night and day they are always firemen."