Over the last 250-plus years, firefighters from every part of the country have demonstrated acts of courage and heroism admired by millions around the world. The image of a sweaty firefighter rescuing a citizen from an engulfed balcony or charging without fear into a burning structure routinely captures hearts and minds.
In many cases, these images are portrayed by Holly- wood and the private sector as the embodiment of bravery, courage and dedication. Certainly, they help us recruit the next generation of firefighters, paramedics and rescue technicians, but they also cloud the judgment and decision making of individuals who seek to achieve a certain public status.
Over the last few years, I’ve made countless trips from coast to coast and many places in between. As a frequent traveler, I often find myself sitting in airports daydreaming and people watching. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see members of our armed forces (another kind of American hero), representing all ranks and disciplines, traveling to and from bases throughout the country for deployment. In far fewer cases, I’ve seen the smiling faces of young men and women who are returning home after a long and emotionally challenging tour of duty.
Regardless of their destination, these men and women of the armed forces exemplify the highest level of bravery, courage and dedication.
I was recently sitting at the Atlanta airport waiting to board a flight home after teaching a class on the West Coast. Graciously, the fine folks at Delta Airlines gave me an upgrade to first class as a reward for my frequent travels.
As I stowed my computer in preparation for boarding, the gate agent announced that two soldiers who recently completed yet another extended tour in Iraq would be joining us on our flight. As an expression of gratitude for their dedication and service, she asked that we allow them the opportunity to board the aircraft prior to taking our place in line. Amongst rousing applause, the two humble soldiers hesitantly proceeded to the front of the line and boarded the awaiting aircraft.
A few minutes later, with my first class upgrade in hand, I boarded the plane. As I turned to get into my seat, I noticed that one of the soldiers was sitting in the very back of the aircraft–a seat unbefitting someone who’s given so much, if you ask me. I proceeded to the back of the plane and expressed my appreciation for his dedicated service while requesting that he take my seat in first class. Like a true humble servant, he respectfully refused my offer, but I persisted and eventually convinced him to travel home in the comforts of first class.
Much to my surprise, a week later I received a personalized thank-you letter from this young soldier. Having no more information about me than my name, he took it upon himself to look up my mailing address and send me a handwritten letter of thanks. Although it’s natural to consider this soldier a hero because of the bravery and courage he demonstrated on the battlefield, to me, it was his simple gesture of sending the letter that exemplifies the selfless character of a true American hero.
It’s my belief that heroes are not recruited, they’re not born with special talents, they’re simply men and women of all ranks and assignments who are presented with a situation and act in a selfless manner that exceeds normal expectations.
In some cases, these individuals put themselves in harm’s way to save the life of another. In far more cases, it’s simply a matter of doing what’s right–stopping or preventing unsafe acts, defending a budget proposal that puts safety and public service first, upholding training and performance standards, demonstrating the courage to deny code variances and exceptions that pose potential risks to firefighters and civilians and, last but not least, going beyond the call of duty to provide exceptional customer service to those we serve.
The adulation bestowed on the fire service is something we all should be proud of and thankful for, yet it’s not something we should take for granted or expect. As public servants, our actions should exemplify the professionalism we strive for regardless of our assignment–firefighter, fire marshal, secretary or fire chief.
Far too often, we overlook the heroic acts that occur every day. Firefighters, company officers, chief officers and support staff routinely perform selfless acts that enable everyone of us the opportunity to stand proud and call ourselves firefighters.
I challenge each of you to take a moment this holiday season to express your appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the heroes within your organization–your firefighters, fire officers and the support staff who allow each of us to perform as public servants in a manner that exemplifies the character of a first-class hero.
