Firefighters are an interesting group of people. Although we share a very common goal, we are extremely diverse. Every third day, when I report to work, I join my second family. The fifteen members of my community come from all parts of the state. We come from as close as Mill Creek and as far away as Yakima or the Olympic Peninsula. We come together as a team, support system, friends, brothers or sisters. Very few things can cement a bond between people more than a shared tragedy. We have all seen many. We all share a common concern for the lives and safety of the people we serve.
Though we share a common desire to help, we are all very different people. Among my shift are men and women, hunters, non-hunters, skiers, snowboarders, travelers and home bodies, oil painters and housepainters. Since we only work eight days a month, many have second jobs. Some stay home with their kids, others bank their time off and travel the world.
Firefighters and paramedics experience some very difficult times. These pressures and emotions can often cause friction between people. However, the bond that brings us together is most often much stronger than what may try to pull us apart. Eventually, every one of us will need the support of our ‘brothers or sisters in arms.’ They have always been there for me when I needed them. Finally, when I peer into the blackness, I know that when I go in that door, there is somebody right behind me to make sure I will get out again. That is the definition of a firefighter community.
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