The Final Alarm

Fireman’s Prayer

When I am called to duty, God
whenever flames may rage,
Give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.

Help me to embrace a little child
Before it’s too late,
Or some older person
from the horror of that fate.

Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.

I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me,
To guard my neighbor
And protect his property.

And if according to Your will
I have to lose my life,
Please bless with Your protecting hand
My children and my wife

Every day, when emergency personnel report to work, they risk responding to their "final alarm." They lay their lives on the line for all of us -- just doing their job -- and sometimes they sacrifice it.

It is always tragic. No matter what the circumstances.

Today my cousin Chad was laid to rest by his "brothers" and "sisters" of a small town volunteer fire department, where he served as deputy chief. Even though his death did not occur on the job (he was struck and killed as a pedestrian by an intoxicated driver), personnel from another 9 or 10 departments in the area also responded to pay their last respects.

I hope you never have to go to a "firefighter funeral," but if you do, you'll find it quite moving. One can't help but tear up when wearing a red ribbon of support, reading the Fireman's Prayer (above), hearing the playing of bagpipes and seeing his "brothers" give their final, white-gloved salute at the grave site.

Then there are the surviving family members -- his wife, his children, his father and his mother (my cousin). How do they cope? How will they manage the pain?

All of my siblings except my sister in Texas were able to get off of work long enough today to attend the funeral. There we sat, the 7 of us in a row, each of us the parent of at least one son -- and one sister the mother of a firefighter as well. Each of us thinking the same thing. How would WE cope? How would WE manage the pain?

I pray we never have to, but I know if something like this ever did happen to any of us, we'd have much support like we saw today. This young 34-year-old man (who I mostly remember as a child) touched so many lives they needed to shuttle people in big school buses from a makeshift parking lot at the fire station over to the church, then out to the cemetery and back to the fire hall for lunch.

So many people with so many positive things to say. It made me proud of his public service and proud to call him family.

May God bless him and heal the broken hearts of those who mourn.

Thank you, Chad.