A salute to our unsung heroes

While many of us sat down to Thanksgiving dinner this long weekend, and could take a moment from our busy lives to forget about work or responding to outside calls, there were several others who remained at a moment’s notice, ready to respond to the call of duty, should it arise. Among those constantly vigilant were our volunteer firefighters.

For most of the year, volunteer firefighters serving our rural areas do their job without any accolades or recognition. They wake in the middle of the night, or leave their regular jobs in the middle of the day, or any other time they are called, to answer emergency situations. Each time they answer the call, they don’t know what they might be walking into, the personal dangers they may face, but yet they go.

During Fire Prevention Week, we pay homage to the work of these men and women and let them know that we, as a community, appreciate the fact they put their lives on the line and that they give their time and efforts to protect the rest of us. And as much thanks as we owe them, we also owe a debt of thanks to those who support local firefighters in their efforts, including the employers who give these men and women time off work to respond to fire situations or car accidents, and their family members who support them even when they must leave in the middle of a holiday dinner or in the dark of the night.

One way to show our appreciation of firefighters’ efforts is for each of us to ensure we do our job in staying safe, whether it is checking batteries on smoke alarms, purchasing a fire extinguisher for the home, or making sure every member of the family knows how to get out of the house in event of a fire. While we are very lucky to have corps of volunteer firefighting crews in our communities, we shouldn’t take their efforts for granted by becoming blasé about the risk of fire.