Yeah, Yeah, More Friggin' Heroes

I know that I have been harping about the police, how much they are unappreciated, etc. so I introduced another subject on one of my favorite people, the so-called firefighters. I call them firemen or firewomen.

I did not want to be too tedious in my prior post, so I limited it to the essence. But there is more.

You could be driving along and get the stuff scared out of you as you suddenly hear the siren and various warbles of the emergency vehicle over your stereo blasting crap (sorry, I meant rap). The monstrous vehicle whizzes by you, blowing you off the road in its wake: all red and yellow, with lights flashing around. You gather your resources and get back into traffic.

The men and women in that monstrous mechanical device are getting their thrills. That is why they are in that line of work. They want more from life than 8-5 flipping burgers or scanning code at some cash register. Aside from the fact that it pays well, usually has good retirement benefits, and they can go home after the event is over, it is a glamorous job that requires balls, male or female. I am not talking “entertainment glamour” here, for which I have little use. These are real people with commitment, strength of body and character, hard continual training, and abstaining from some things that most of us partake on a whim. They put in their time in education, training, and on the job with the real thing, and continuous re-training. They also put up with politically correct crap, and often politically correct discrimination based on arbitrary rules of the current fad by asinine politicians. They persevere, for the rewards are worth it. They are firefighters in the current politically correct terminology.

They are the warriors of fire who whiz by you on the way to … well, I don’t want to get into that. Much of the time it is a low-key or a false alarm, and they end up with someone else cleaning up the mess while they stand around looking glamorous, then drive back to the station to re-stack their equipment for the next call. That does not mean, however, that all is a piece of cake. They get into some danger, and some lose their life as a result. Compare that to what you do or are required to do daliy, and quit bitching about hardship and annoyances.

I have worked with them side by side for years. Some I know intimately, some are friends, and some are schmucks, just like real people. On the average they carry more than their weight, and are more trustworthy than the regular citizens. I would not want to be without them. I appreciate them. Of course, there are exceptions.

So, when you feel relatively safe in your home, or in your vehicle out there, remember that these firefighters are there to rescue your ass when you end up in a mess. Make sure that you vote for improving their benefit package. Most of you could not or would not want to do what these people do daily. You need them more than you need the shallow images of humanity thrust into your face by the entertainment business. These are real people. Some of them are your neighbors. Some of them are your family. Some of them are you.