A Firehouse Visit

This past Thursday evening, December 11th, I concluded my Thursday evening class on "Spirituality". Before driving home from Champaign, I decided to take Bill B. up on his invitation to come by and visit him at work. Bill is a Champaign firefighter. It was exciting to go by the station and see his work environment. Station #3 has one engine, shown in the picture above. (The interior of the truck is in the picture below) Bill described the types of calls the firemen receive and how they go about responding to those calls. He also gave me a tour of the facility and explained to me a variety of the equipment he uses. It was all very fascinating and I really appreciated his taking the time to do so. The Lieutenant at Station #3, Jeff L, also spent time talking about what it means to be a fireman.

Walking into the station brought a flood of memories. My father was a fireman. Occasionally I would visit him at his fire station. Climbing in and on the trucks was always exciting. There was also an occasional event in which the families would be invited to a big show with the firemen. We would be standing in an open area and a large puddle of Av Gas would be lit. That, in and of itself, was pretty exciting! Then the fire trucks would come roaring up. It was like the cavalry charging over the hill in a western movie. The firemen would jump out and be dressed in silver suits with full helmets and tinted visors. They looked like astronauts. They would spray the fire down with foam. I always knew which one was my dad because he was so tall. Next, they would light the gas again and the truck would drive up to the fire and knock it down with a boom located on its front bumper. It was a great show - exciting for a boy to watch.

Being a fireman is a dangerous job. It can also be emotionally draining. Firemen sometimes are able to do what they really want to do: help people in some of the most difficult experiences of their lives. Sometimes, however, they are unable to spare people from the tragedy that threatens to envelop them. Serving people is at the heart of what they do. Just like Jesus. He came at Christmas not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.