For the past 21 years I have been married to a fire fighter. Yes, the same one…for those of you who might be wondering! During his career my husband has saved lives and helped many people. He has revived heart attack victims. He has pulled toddlers out of swimming pools. He has pried people out of smashed up cars on the roads and freeways. He has delivered babies. He has put out house and structure fires and has worked on the frequent brush fires in CA, helping to save lives and property. My husband is also a certified paramedic, so not only does he sit on the truck and fire engine, but he runs in the RA (rescue ambulance) on his shifts, too. He’s often up all night running medical calls. People call 911 at all hours of the night when they have a pain in their side or a fever or when they have anxiety, or just about anything. Some are medical emergencies; most are not. But still my husband and his crew respond, no matter what time of the day or night it is.
Being a fire fighter is an important job. It’s a very noble profession. I’m so proud of what my husband does for a living.
But when my sons ask me, “Mom…when I grow up, should I be a fire fighter like dad?” I will have to stop and think of how to respond. It’s a dangerous job, and a demanding job. It can be hard on your health, and it can be trying on a marriage. Do I want the fire fighter life style for my sons and their future families?
Andrew, are you willing to work 24 hour shifts, sometimes 3 or 4 days in a row? Depending on how busy your station is, you might not sleep all that much. You might come home exhausted and a bit grouchy, and your wife and kids will have to be understanding about that. You will work on important days such as Christmas, Easter, and your wife and your kids’ birthdays. Your family will have to learn to work around your schedule and celebrate on the days before or after!
Alex, will you mind being woken up at all hours of the night to tend to people who might be sick or injured? Would you be willing to run into a burning building to look for and rescue people who you do not know, even if it means you yourself might lose your life and not come home to your own family?
A.J., would you be willing to assist people who might have infectious diseases? People who will cough on you, bleed on you, vomit on you, and who might even be angry at you for trying to help them? Will you be ready to block a punch from an irate drunk guy who gets angry at you for trying to keep him calm?
And sweet little Aiden, would you be willing to not come home to your own family if a disaster should hit your area, but instead stay on duty to help all the other people who need assistance? Because all this and more is what fire fighters are committed to. This is what they do. So are you willing to wear that hat? It’s definitely not for everyone, and if you choose other ways to earn a living, I will understand. I might even be relieved. I will be proud of you no matter what you choose.
But if you should choose to follow in your father’s footsteps — if the fire fighter helmet fits — then I will back you 100%. You will make your mama proud. And your dad, too.
Right now the helmet is a bit too big for all of them,
so thankfully they’ve got lots of time to think about it!
Linking up today with Mama and Baby Love
I am the daughter of a firefighter (he’s now retired), so I love this post. My brother (only sibling) ended up following in my Dad’s footsteps and is a Captain now. It is a tough job for families in some ways. I was always extremely afraid of fire as a child and had nightmares of my house burning down! But it was also nice to have my Dad around so much, as his schedule meant that he worked basically one 24 hour shift out of every three days. He got to be there for a lot of stuff, so that was a definite plus
Great post, and so true.
I loooooove that photo of Aiden!
And this post hits me, the daughter of a police officer. Lots of sacrifice! I would NOT want it for my own kids.
This forum needed shaking up and you’ve just done that. Great post!
What about your daughters? They might not all want to grow up to be mommies. They might want to be firefighters. Encourage them too!
I won’t encourage my girls to be fire fighters UNLESS they express an interest in it, and so far none of my girls want to be a fire fighter. Since I live the life of a fire family, I can see the toll it can take regarding sleep deprivation and the physical demands on the body. It’s a hard job. Definitely not for every woman (or man, for that matter) But whatever they want to do when they grow up, I will encourage and support them
and….they can be firefighters AND mommies. Who says they have to choose?
I love these pics!
Your husband does a great service to the community.
Your answers are very thoughtful. It’s so hard to know what to tell our kids sometimes.
I’m not a fireman (person?!?) nor a fireman’s wife, but this is such an AMAZING tribute to them, and to their families as well!! I cannot possibly imagine the dedication, bravery, insanity (?!?) necessary to do this job on a daily basis!! Looking at what just happened in Arizona, and what they do on “normal” days makes every minor inconvenience/complaint the rest of us might have about our jobs just…..irrelevant.
Much love to you and your BEAUTIFUL family…. You know already, I’m sure, that your boys have GORGEOUS eyes and are going to be MAJOR heartbreakers before too long….!!!
Take care and congrats on the new guy!!
Val in Ohioooooo
Your daughters can follow dad ‘s footsteps too!
My thoughts exactly!!
And mine!
Sorry, typos!
Great pictures!
My grandfather was a lieutenant and my uncle was a well known battalion chief (both with the NYFD). I think it’s such a noble profession. I respect it so much and appreciate what they do sooo much…but I always said I could never marry someone in the military (like my dad, grandad and many uncles), someone in the fire dept or a cop. I just couldn’t function. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, I would panic attacks. I literally would be emotionally incapable of dealing woth the worry day to day. As much as I’m trying, I’m just not an easy going person.