proud of the women and men who have made it such a wonderful profession – not only for those of us who have been part of it, but in the eyes of our families and customers as well.
I love this photo I'm sharing here – some of you may have seen it before. It was taken by a (since retired) Mesa (AZ) firefighter and photographer named Rick Montemorra. As far as the interpersonal side of
firefighters delivering emergency services is concerned, it sends a powerful message. Pictured are twelve firefighters and their officers. Those twelve form three four-person crews (2 Engine Companies and 1 Ladder Company), which is a common initial response to many structure fires, major medical incidents, technical rescues, hazmat incidents, and other high potential dispatches. Looking at the photo, you cannot determine who they are, their gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or any other variables that make them the individuals they are. When Rick took this photo, he captured an anonymous sampling of highly trained, well equipped, and deeply invested firefighters and fire officers ready to do whatever they can, to the best of their abilities, to save the lives of (usually) unknown fellow humans, their loved ones, friends, neighbors, pets, and even property, as those customers cope with what might be remembered as the worst day of their lives. That is a profound responsibility and is brought to life in Rick’s amazing photo. It’s a visual statement describing who we are, our unity, and what we stand for, and it displays no interpersonal drama that might (at times) distract them from their mission! Every person within the nation’s fire service either delivers emergency/non-emergency services directly to external customers, or they are charged with supporting that service delivery system and all the
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