Going Home! We Appreciate You

Pagosa has had a fire drawing firefighters  and we have been a cross roads for fire crews as they travel to different locations according to the need and their specific skills.  I met these guys at the Conoco Station and asked where they were going next. Several voices chimed at once, “HOME!” They had been at it for a month solid, fighting fires all over the West. We pray you have a good rest and that it continues to rain.  Editor

Self Sacrifice Is A Firefighter’s Oath

Upon entering the fire service, we all take an oath to uphold the core values of the organization we serve. We agree to use the resources provided, coupled with the training and education we’ve received over the years, to provide the highest level of protection possible to our citizens—and when necessary, take calculated risk to save lives and protect property.

These men and women are deployed far beyond their respective city/county limits. They deployed to a nation where their personal health and safety could not be guaranteed. They deployed into the deepest of voids in a quest to save men, women and children whom they had never met, nor had any personal responsibility to protect. These men and women put service before self.

Service before self is not a catch phrase; it’s a lifestyle. It’s the characteristic of truly dedicated individuals and it’s the purest representation of brother and sisterhood.

To each of you who have put service before self, I say thank you—you have raised the bar of professionalism for us all. You have proven that despite the toughest of challenges, foreign or domestic, emergent or non-emergent, our nation’s firefighters stand ready to serve.

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