You know it has been very hard the past week or so from all that has happened with Robin and Brian's Line of Duty Death. But what is more irritating, is when we hear comments from the public and those who dont understand anything about the fire service.

I have heard some saying that "this would have never happened if they wouldnt have gone in to the house". "Someone should have told them that everyone was out".....People, they would have still gone in, it is our job....someone still has to go inside and put the fire out. If we never go in then everyones house would burn down...then we would hear how the fire department didnt do their job. I heard the other day that someone was bitching about all the fire trucks at the funeral and how it was "such a waste of gas that the tax payers have to pay for"....Are you serious? Give me a F'n break.

Two firefighters are killed and the fire service is paying our respects to our fallen brother and sister and someone bitches about the use of gas...Un-F'n-beliveable. I then hear how people bitch that we get paid to sleep and that we have such an easy job just sitting around the firehouse waiting for a call or the ability to wash our vehicles. Tell that to Robin and Brians families now. These are the people who go to work and realize that they WILL go home at the end of the work day. We are not always granted the same. These are the same people who dont get out of our way when we are screaming lights and sirens down the road, but they are the first to bitch and wine when they themselves call 911 and then say, "What took you guys so long to get here?" We are like an insurance policy...you might not like paying the monthly bill but are happy when you actually have to use it.

I know that not everyone understands the brotherhood/sisterhood that comes with the fire service so let me shed some light to those who "just dont understand". The fire service is made up of those...

You know it has been very hard the past week or so from all that has happened with Robin and Brian's Line of Duty Death. But what is more irritating, is when we hear comments from the public and those who dont understand anything about the fire service.

I have heard some saying that "this would have never happened if they wouldnt have gone in to the house". "Someone should have told them that everyone was out".....People, they would have still gone in, it is our job....someone still has to go inside and put the fire out. If we never go in then everyones house would burn down...then we would hear how the fire department didnt do their job. I heard the other day that someone was bitching about all the fire trucks at the funeral and how it was "such a waste of gas that the tax payers have to pay for"....Are you serious? Give me a F'n break.

Two firefighters are killed and the fire service is paying our respects to our fallen brother and sister and someone bitches about the use of gas...Un-F'n-beliveable. I then hear how people bitch that we get paid to sleep and that we have such an easy job just sitting around the firehouse waiting for a call or the ability to wash our vehicles. Tell that to Robin and Brians families now. These are the people who go to work and realize that they WILL go home at the end of the work day. We are not always granted the same. These are the same people who dont get out of our way when we are screaming lights and sirens down the road, but they are the first to bitch and wine when they themselves call 911 and then say, "What took you guys so long to get here?" We are like an insurance policy...you might not like paying the monthly bill but are happy when you actually have to use it.

I know that not everyone understands the brotherhood/sisterhood that comes with the fire service so let me shed some light to those who "just dont understand". The fire service is made up of those individuals who take it upon themselves to do good for others. Our pay isn't bad, but then again, what type of price do you put on the possibility of losing your life? Remember that the next time a levy comes up for the fire department needing supplies, apparatus, and protective gear.We are firefighters, paramedics, emt's, so forth and so on. We work 24 hour shifts with the same crew day in and day out. These crew members are as close to blood relation that you can get.

We work ALL year round - yes, that means weekends, holidays, 100+ degree summers to minus 30 degrees winters on FIRE and EMS runs. We dont get "snow days". So remember, when you are sitting at Christmas dinner, or Easter with your family - we are at the firehouse working. We dont get lunch and dinner breaks - so there are many times we sit down to eat a hot meal, tones go off, and we have to go on runs only to come back to find that meal isnt so hot anymore.

Yes, we did choose this profession- or maybe the profession chose us - and we dont bitch or complain because this is what we love to do!! We eat, sleep, shower, go to the bathroom, laugh, joke, and cry with each other at the firehouse. It is our second home away from home. We spend 1/3rd of our lives (sometimes more) with the crews we work with. We dont have an office job that we have to worry about the typical "business shit" We realize that there might be the day where we dont come home alive. We accept this because it is what we love to do. Can you put a price or salary on that??

It is wonderful with all the support we have received over the past week and we do appreciate it. But remember one thing.....in the upcoming weeks, months, years when the public forgets what happened to Robin and Brian, we will still be getting on the trucks going to emergencies for those in need. We will still go into burning buildings when everyone else is running out without a question on our minds because this is what we do....and we have a job to accomplish.........WE ARE FIREFIGHTERS!!!