Kindness

3

I had a meeting to be at the main office with all the fire chief's. On way there I see a guy wavy his hands for help.

I park my truck and and see a manhole opened with two cones. I get out and ask him what the trouble is. He tells me a little boy fell in and he has no idea who he belongs to but a boy is crying for help.  He has called 911 ten minutes ago and no one has showed be up. It's in an area that they closed a fire station for lack of funds to run it.  I go access the situation and call my crew for help.  They just left to be at a vehicle accident and it is required two stations.  I tell the dispatch I am going in and to send help immediately with a ambulance.

I get a harness and and a rope and lower myself in.  This boy is passed out. It took awhile for me to get him out, but he is out.

I am coming out and media and many onlookers are present.  I handed the man the boy and get myself out.
I am immediately bombarded with media.

Chief Harris why did it take long for anyone to respond this is unacceptable.  I understand but do budget cuts the fire station in this area unfortunately had to be shut down.

They started asking me more questions which I knew  not to answer.  The ambulance took the little boy to the hospital and doing cpr on him and first aid. He had passed out on the way out. I am wet from my waist down and smell real bad.  I called it in the telling them I need to go back to the firestation to get cleaned up and why.  I eventually make it to the chief's meeting and the other chief responding to the vehicle accident is still absent.

Chief Harris you did a fine job saving that boy and handle the press well.  Thank you but that should of never happened.  The city needs to find a way to open that fire station back up. I don't know if the boy will make it and its your fault for closing it. There was a way to keep it opened and we all told you that but instead you chose to close so the funds could be used for more advertising and funds to be spent on your pet project. Harris you are out of line . No I am not.  No one else will tell you to your face.

I look around and the other chief's don't respond to my statement.

I am embarrassed to be call myself a fire fighter and you all should be too. Chief Harris come back after the trial.  I am not sure if I want do that or not.  Harris don't be haste. 

I walk out of the meeting disgusted with the battalion chief and the other chief's. The responding chief pulls me aside and Congratulate me on a fine job. His crew and my crew clap for me. I tell them all that I may not return were the trial. It is hard working for the city when the battalion chief puts his pet project and advertising over the safety of the community first which they all agreed with me. More fire fighters arrive to demand they reopen the fire station. Many are putting their careers on the line to demand such. I leave in disgust with my crew back to fire station 15. We return and the media and the community are there 👏 for me as they found out my statement and many others showing up to demand the fire station to be opened up. I still tell my people to not respond and I have them close the doors and lock the community out. The   Sgt tells me that cops are behind my statement that got leaked to the press.   I tell him thank you.  They are still out there handling the press and we make dinner to eat.  We don't get any more calls to answer the rest of the shift which was fine with us all. My crew was exhausted for all the calls we did respond too.