May 16 – “From the Fire Side”

I stopped by the fire station in Sea Isle yesterday to see how the guys out there were doing.  It was sure good to see one guy in particular.  He’s the one I met when he was in the hospital because of chest pains.  It’s much better to see him on duty than in a hospital bed.  And he’d sure rather be at the station as well.  He told me that he was told he had churches all over the place praying for him.  And one friend of his even told him that the Galveston mosque prayed for him as well.  Guess he had all his bases covered. 

I finished the first of the two books recommended to me at the chaplain’s conference to help me get a handle on what it is like to be a fire fighter.  This one, Report from Engine Company 82, is a fascinating look into the everyday life of a fire fighter in New York City.  The guy who wrote it was a fire fighter there in the station that consistently had the record for most calls.  It showed the sometimes boring days and long, grueling nights, filled with false alarms and medical calls and inspections as well as actual fires of all kinds.  Garbage cans lit up by kids.  Vacant buildings set afire by vagrants or possibly by the buildings’ owners in an effort to recoup some of the daily loss involved in carrying a useless property on the tax rolls.  It had a really sobering story at the end about a baby who died in one of their fires.  Some of it was tough reading, but it was, after all, the real deal.  The next one is called I Love a Fire Fighter: What the Family Needs to Know.  This one focuses on the perspective of families of the guys and girls who run into fires instead of away from them.  Looks like it has a lot about the stress involved and the pressure on family relationships.  I’m anxious to see if it is well done.  You can never get too much preparation for dealing with stress.  It looks like a really good resource to recommend to families of new fire fighters especially, but also to those who might also be running into some rough patches of communication and understanding.    

And speaking of stress, this afternoon is the retirement reception for our Galveston Fire Chief.  Change like that always brings some degree of stress into the equation.  Who will be his successor?  Will the things that were important to him continue to be points of emphasis, or will all that change?  And for the Chief and his family, they have to carve out a whole new outlook on day to day living.  I’m sure it will look really fun and exciting at first with fishing and traveling or whatever their plans are, but eventually the new will wear off and they will have to decide what comes next.  After all, he’s only 51 years old, a mere youngster.  And then they have to make it work.  I haven’t had time to get to know you well, but Jeff and Deanne, know that I’ll be praying for you.

Psalms 91:14-16 says, “’Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”

Father, grant Chief Smith and his family your rescue and protection as they acknowledge you.  Give them your answers.  Walk with them in trouble.  Show them your way of deliverance.  And allow them to recognize honor from you, to appreciate a life that is just long enough, and above all else, to enjoy the life that comes only through your salvation.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.