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Post by edmontongreg on Jun 17, 2015 21:18:13 GMT -5
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Post by bluepride on Jun 19, 2015 13:20:48 GMT -5
Nice article! Congratulations to these guys! Long and safe careers!
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Post by edmontongreg on Jun 19, 2015 23:39:45 GMT -5
This is fire related...but it hits the spot for all first responders
• 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 wife’s horror at 6 in the morning as I check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done to try to save his 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 an EMS 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 2×4 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 know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, 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 intersection or in traffic. When you need us however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, “It took you forever to get here!”
• 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 best friend? What are her parents reactions 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 own family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call.
• 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.” or “That is such an easy job!”
• I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental drain or missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have seen.
• I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction 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 knowing what to say. Or to have to hold back a long-time friend who watches his buddy having CPR done on him as they take him away in the Medic Unit. It’s 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, and what our job really means to us… but I wish you could.
***These words were written by a first responder who chooses to remain anonymous, and sent to us at #Shootslikeagirl by one of our dearest friends who puts his life on the line every single day in service to his community. These words are raw and written from the very heavy heart of one who encounters, every day, things that I pray none of us ever experience. Please like and share this post to your wall so that others may understand.And then please go #hugafirefighter #thankacop and #kissandmedic. These brave men and women deserve our #love and #support and #admiration. These are the #realheroes.
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Post by bluepride on Jun 23, 2015 17:52:17 GMT -5
Today the venerable old Stonewall Inn was designated a landmark in New York City! The bar is the site of the famous Stonewall Rebellion in June 1969, where fed up patrons had reached their limit as far as harassment of gays, lesbians and transgendered people were concerned. It was in effect, the start of the gay rights movement as we know it. There had been some protests and actions during the 1950's but nothing near the magnitude of the Stonewall action. It is fully appropriate that this designation has finally happened and I'm happy about it. I have friends who were there in 1969 and I've been there many times over the years. In 1994, GOAL had, as part of it's Stonewall 25 activities, a party at the bar during Pride Week. There was an iconic photo taken outside the bar that was published in a book called, "Unity - A Celebration of Gay Games IV and Stonewall". When I was trying to get the first GOAL website off the ground, I wrote to the photographer for permission to use the photo on the site but due to the turmoil and not so nice behavior of some of the members, I never submitted the photo for inclusion. My plan is to scan the photo along with the letter of permission and post them both here, on BLUE PRIDE. Most likely in the Member's section. It should be done within the next few days. The letter is buried in my archives and I have to do some digging! But it's a great photo with a number of old members, some of whom have passed on. I'm looking forward to sharing it here. READ ARTICLE HERE: Stonewall Inn Designated A City Landmark*************I posted the photo in the Members section*****************
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Post by edmontongreg on Jun 23, 2015 22:02:46 GMT -5
Cherry on to would have been a Supreme Court decision today.
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Post by bluepride on Jul 5, 2015 14:04:16 GMT -5
Someone has been on my mind very strongly the last week or so. He even popped into a dream last week and even though he was speaking, I can't remember anything he said except two little words. And they couldn't have been any clearer. I don't know if you believe in signs, messages from beyond or anything like that....but over the years I've kind of been in tune to some other worldly stuff which I can't really put into words. I just accept it. But one of our members.....who left us last November...appeared in a dream and specifically said to me, "I'm OK".....his exact words....
So late this morning on impulse, I took a drive up to Connecticut and paid a visit to Frank....burner.... Maybe I wanted to be sure that he hadn't escaped his resting place. Who knows? But I just felt like doing it and sure enough, I did. And I'm glad I did. I guess I needed to.
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