An email I got...thought I'd pass it on

As I perform my duty Lord
Whatever be the call,
Help to guide and keep me safe
From dangers big and small.

I want to serve and do my best
No matter what the scene,
I pledge to keep my skills refined,
My judgment quick and keen.

This calling to give of myself
Most do not understand,
But I stand ready all the time
To help my fellow man.

To have the chance to help a child
Restore his laugh with glee,
A word of thanks I might not hear,
But knowing is enough for me.

The praise of men is fine for some,
But I feel truly blessed,
That you oh Lord have chosen me
To serve as Police, Fire, and EMS


What I wish people knew about EMS, Firefighters, Dispatchers, & Law Enforcement:

I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for
trapped children at 3 AM, flames rolling above your head, your palms
and knees burning as you crawl , the floor sagging under your weight as
the kitchen below you burns .

I wish you could comprehend a husband's horror at 6 in the morning as I
check his wife of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR
anyway, hoping to bring her back, knowing intuitively it is too late.
But wanting her husband and family to know everything possible was done
to try to save her life.

I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation , the taste of
soot-filled mucus , the feeling of intense heat through your turnout
gear, the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see
absolutely nothing in dense smoke - sensations that I've become too
familiar with.

I wish you could read my mind as I respond to a building fire "Is this
a false alarm or a working fire? How is the building constructed? What
hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to call, " What is wrong with
the patient? Is it minor or life- threatening? Is the caller really in
distress or is he waiting for us with a 2x4 or a gun?"

I wish you could be in the emergency room as a doctor pronounces dead
the beautiful five-year old girl that I have been trying to save during
the past 25 minutes, who will never go on her first date or say the
words , "I love you Mommy" again .

I wish you could have the sleepless nights, remembering the faces of
the children you' ve seen, that were killed and/ or maimed resulting
from traffic crashes.

How many shredded or crushed innocent children' s bodies have you had to look at?
Have you ever had to wash the odor of chared or decomposed human flesh
, from your clothing? Do you think you could forget that smell ? We
can' t.

I wish you had to intercede, after some trailer park dope decided to
smash a fish tank across his wife' s head, because she didn't buy
enough beer for him to drink. Look at the faces of the poor children,
that had to be the witnesses. Take that into your dreams.

I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine
or unit, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal , my
arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain , as you fail to
yield the right- of-way at an intersecti on or in traffic.

When you need us however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here! "

A few hours later , some annoyed and overstressed driver, is cursing
and spitting, because he's getting a traffic citation, for failing to
yield the right of way, or playing his 5000 watt music too loud.


Does he care that you' re trying to sleep , 150 feet away from the street he drives on?

I wish you could know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage
years from the remains of her automobile . " What if this was my
daughter, sister, my girlfriend or a friend? What is her parent's
reaction going to be when they open the door to find a police officer
with hat in hand? "

I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet
my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly
did not come back from the last call.

I wish you could know how it feels dispatching officers, firefighters
and EMT's out and when we call for them and our heart drops because no
one answers back or to hear a bone-chilling 911 call of a child or wife
needing assistance .

I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally, and sometimes
physically, abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their
attitudes of "It will never happen to me."

I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental drain or
missed meals , lost sleep and forgotten social activities , in addition
to all the tragedy my eyes have seen.

I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfacti on of helping
save a life or preserving someone's property, or being able to be there
in time of crisis, or creating order from total chaos .

I wish you could understand what it feels like to have a little boy
tugging at your arm and asking, "Is Mommy okay? " Not even being able
to look in his eyes without tears from your own and not knowi ng what
to say. Or to have to hold back a long time friend who watches his
buddy having CPR done on him as you take him away in the Medic Unit.
You know all along he did not have his seat belt on. A sensation that I
have become too familiar with.

Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never truly
understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job really means
to us. ..I wish you could though.

great post!

I've seen parts of that before, never all of it though.
And having been in 3 of the 4 jobs, Firefighter, EMT, and Dispatcher, it is all completely true.

We live in a pool of stress and are required to be at the top of our game when everyone else is at their worst. It's the path we chose for whatever reason so we better be able to deal with it.

It would be nice though if all our 'customers' had some knowledge of what we go through though.

Thanks for the post.

A good article, and goes to show public safety goes farther than just conducting traffic stops.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/26/police.death.notices/index.html

Unfortunately, some people only see the routine and mundane tasks performed by these everyday heroes; they don't see the dangerous, life-threatening and life-saving efforts of these professionals. They deserve every accolade and compensation they receive.