Every year we devote several pages to the hard work and dedication of our local volunteer fire departments for Fire Prevention Week, but shouldn’t every week be fire prevention week?
This year’s fire prevention section runs from Pages 11-21 in our print edition and in it are all the local firefighters who go out of their way to have a positive impact on their communities. It shows a broad range of men and women, young and old, who volunteer their time to the selfless cause of saving the lives of others.
All volunteers should be recognized for their contributions to their communities, but firefighters in small communities in particular stand alone because they are strictly volunteers and unlike other volunteers, may be asked to put themselves in danger’s path at any point in their day.
They all have day-jobs and drop everything they’re doing at a moment’s notice to speed to the scene of someone else’s nightmare — whether it be an actual fire, an accident on the highway, or a medical emergency — even in the dead of night.
If that alert goes off, they are up and dressed and on the road within minutes. That takes true dedication.
With all that said, shouldn’t we be striving to make their lives easier by making sure they’re called into action as little as possible?
The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is ‘Look, Listen and Learn’ — three things we can all do, all year round, to prevent tragedies. The National Fire Protection Association advises all people to look for places a fire could start; listen for the sound of the smoke alarm; and learn two ways out of every room.
These really are words to live by, literally.
Every week we should be recognizing and thanking our firefighters for the work they do while remaining vigilant to make sure they’re not called out on a regular basis.
Next time you see a firefighter, or any first responder for that matter, show your appreciation by thanking them, because the next time it could just as easily be you in that flaming house or upside down in a vehicle in a ditch somewhere outside of town.
