Fire Burns

I'm a little annoyed today. I was looking through pictures of the fire damage in California. What used to be lush landscape looks like Mars. Ash. Ash everywhere. To top it off, two firefighters died protecting life and land in a fire that someone most likely started. Two families lost a dad, a husband a son. It makes me really sad. It also hits home and not just because that is where I'm from.

History: When I was in high school, all I wanted to do was become a firefighter. It's what I dreamed of, envisioned, prepared and trained for. I joined the explorer program in L.A. County and shockingly was good at what I wanted to do. I was the only female but I worked hard, REALLY hard to keep up with the boys. THen I worked HARDER to show them up. I didn't want pity, didn't want things easier. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it well to a man's standards. It was difficult and stressful and one of the most amazing times of my life. I was sent to an academy and worked harder than I ever had in my life. I was rewarded with several awards. I studied, could do pushups from night until morning. Survived on little sleep as they rang bells from night until morning ensuring that under stress and fatigue, we could still think straight, perform strong. That academy had a 50% drop out rate and I graduated. I graduated one of the toughest academies. A few years later we found out the explorer (AKA- Volunteer) academies were more difficult and stressful than the paid and made sure someone was there to watch over the firefighters who led these. I became an EMT and rode along 24hour shifts on the engine. I recovered severed arms, performed CPR, gave oxygen, bandaged gaping wounds, triaged in cases of major accidents. I fought little fire, but trained like the big one was coming any day and we all waited. We waited for the big one, because that is where the fun began, right?



Long story short, I almost got hired with a department I didn't want to work for, and decided to go have fun until County called my name. I wanted to be an L. A. County Firefighter.



That time never came. I got caught up on fun and traveling. I realized that the work I put in to constantly prove myself was exhausting and I didn't want to walk into work EVERYDAY and feel like I had to prove myself all over again. Every single day for a female was a day of proving you can hang. And, if you are as good as the next guy, it doesn't matter, you have to be better. I was tired. I guess I didn't have it in me after all.

But many of my friends did. They ARE L.A. County firefighters. They are L.A. City firefighters. They work for forest service. They are fire detectives. They are EMT's and Paramedics and I'm so proud of them. But two of those heroes lost their life in a fire that someone may have started. One, Arnie, was an Explorer in the post I was. He was a few years ahead of me and my friend was his leader and years later, that same friend sees Arnie's body while working on the triage and body recovery team in THIS last fire. Arnie leaves behind his pregnant wife due in the next few weeks. Wow. This shouldn't have happened. No one should have to see that. But these firefighters work harder than most can imagine to train for such emergencies, knowing that their life is on the line while doing so. They do it to protect YOU to ensure YOUR house doesn't burn to the ground to ensure YOU go about your day not fearing that everything you know may end in smoke and ash. They watch their own friend's life come to an end so yours does not.

If you wold like to make a donation to their family or memorial fund, please go here.