Another reminder

I subscribe to a service that emails me each time a firefighter in the US loses his or her life, and today, I received one of those notifications. Although it’s a convenience that makes my job easier, it’s also a bitter reminder that someone lost a husband, dad, best friend, sister, or mom.

I always read the information contained in these notifications, and I’m often struck by how old a firefighter may have been—anywhere from 17 to 80 years old. Some of them are volunteer firefighters, and some are commissioned.

These notices often serve as the first piece of documentation on a family that eventually comes to us for assistance, so I dutifully print out each notification and put it in a file. I have received 14 of these messages just since January; I wish I would never receive another.