Just as in most problems we face in this complicated time in which we live, the current governmental financial crisis we face will only be fairly dealt with and solved by compromise on both sides of the debate.
The current plan, or lack thereof, in Wisconsin is a dramatic example of how many regular citizens don’t get involved in the political fray until the system has run amuck. Even though many Americans don’t often publicly voice confidence in their governmental officials they none-the-less expect that although there may be vociferous debate between opposing political philosophies, compromise will somehow forge a workable plan. When one side or the other attempts to implement change that represents the extreme ideas of their parties and force their will on their political opponents real people are affected by these changes and are shaken from their sleepy lives to rise up in defense of their way of life.
When Governor Walker and the Republican House in Wisconsin attempted to strip unions of their right to collective bargaining they drew a line in the sand that showed all working people that the government was taking over the workplaces of the state. First dismantling public sector unions and then attacking the private sector unions as well. Even when the unions agreed to the demands that the Republican controlled legislature and the governor had originally proposed it was deemed not enough. They (the governor and the legislature) felt they had the unions on the ropes and now was the time to go for the jugular.
That’s when the working people of Wisconsin (both union and non-union) realized that the fight to strip them of their right to collective bargaining was the real goal all along. When the people became aware of this they rose up in numbers that no one had expected and descended on the state capitol. The silent majority may have been in favor of tough negotiations with the public sector unions but they were aware that the ultimate answer is a compromise where each side makes some concessions, not a policy where one side sets all the rules and the other has to take it or leave it.
The current problems facing states and cities/towns across America is a direct result of the national recession caused mainly by unscrupulous investors and corporations not the working man or woman of this country. The federal government cut taxes to everyone, including the richest 1% of Americans, at the expense of federal money going to the states to help subsidize education and many of the social programs that comprise the safety net for those who haven’t the resources to fend for themselves. This fiscal reduction to the states forced most of them to severely cut the amount of aid they were previously providing the cities and towns. Having no one on whom to pawn off their lack of funds the cities and towns were forced to lay off workers, cut their budgets for necessary services and raise their property taxes.
The only way to fix this problem is via a combination of cutting unnecessary or wasteful governmental spending and increasing governmental revenues – at least temporarily. This wasn’t wholly created by overspending; underfunding necessary programs and services (and pawning off the responsibility to other lower governmental entities) also contributed to creating the problem. The answer, therefore, should not be entirely financed by fiscal cuts.
That means compromise…
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Guest article by Matt Phillips
Being vigilant is hard work, and it's a huge part of being a firefighter. You've always kept your eyes open for everyday occupational hazards. You know how to be careful and you've known for years. But sometimes it takes a little information to protect yourself.
Cancer may not seem like an occupational hazard that a firefighter needs to watch out for, but it certainly is. In older buildings and homes, builders used a natural mineral called asbestos. Asbestos is a fire-resistant mineral used in old dry wall and insulation, and was supposed to make a lot of homes and buildings safer for a lot of people. It can still be found in dry wall and in insulation in those older homes.
Today, when those homes are disturbed, for example, as you break down the walls of a burning building, asbestos fibers are released into the air. When inhaled, asbestos fibers may cause a deadly cancer to attack the lungs and you will begin to notice symptoms of mesothelioma.
These mesothelioma symptoms can include shortness of breath and chest heaviness. Sound familiar? They should. These symptoms are often confused with other more common, more treatable diseases. Even worse, mesothelioma symptoms are latent, often for up to 50 years. By then, the cancer has spread and treatment is either difficult or impossible.
The government has taken measures to protect heroes like firefighters, military veterans, and construction and demolition workers from asbestos exposure. Organizations like the AFL-CIO are rallying behind those who have already been exposed to asbestos and have developed mesothelioma. Though an act was passed to provide for victims, groups like AFL-CIO are fighting for more support.
So what can you do? Find out more about asbestos exposure and the dangers of mesothelioma, especially if you've been in the business of fighting fires for a while. Search the web; ask a doctor; visit a library. There are resources designed to provide us with what we need to know. With more information, you have a better chance of avoiding asbestos exposure.
You've always protected us. It's time for you to protect yourselves.
Matt Phillips
Cancer may not seem like an occupational hazard that a firefighter needs to watch out for, but it certainly is. In older buildings and homes, builders used a natural mineral called asbestos. Asbestos is a fire-resistant mineral used in old dry wall and insulation, and was supposed to make a lot of homes and buildings safer for a lot of people. It can still be found in dry wall and in insulation in those older homes.
Today, when those homes are disturbed, for example, as you break down the walls of a burning building, asbestos fibers are released into the air. When inhaled, asbestos fibers may cause a deadly cancer to attack the lungs and you will begin to notice symptoms of mesothelioma.
These mesothelioma symptoms can include shortness of breath and chest heaviness. Sound familiar? They should. These symptoms are often confused with other more common, more treatable diseases. Even worse, mesothelioma symptoms are latent, often for up to 50 years. By then, the cancer has spread and treatment is either difficult or impossible.
The government has taken measures to protect heroes like firefighters, military veterans, and construction and demolition workers from asbestos exposure. Organizations like the AFL-CIO are rallying behind those who have already been exposed to asbestos and have developed mesothelioma. Though an act was passed to provide for victims, groups like AFL-CIO are fighting for more support.
So what can you do? Find out more about asbestos exposure and the dangers of mesothelioma, especially if you've been in the business of fighting fires for a while. Search the web; ask a doctor; visit a library. There are resources designed to provide us with what we need to know. With more information, you have a better chance of avoiding asbestos exposure.
You've always protected us. It's time for you to protect yourselves.
Matt Phillips
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
ProJo.com post about FF's & my response
Paul Follett: Underworked firefighters become whiners
01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The basic problem that firefighters face, which gets little attention, is that through no fault of their own, firefighters suffer from boredom; 10 percent of the time there are not enough firefighters to handle the task at hand, but the other 90 percent of the time there is too little to do.
Consequently, they have too much time on their hands between the peak demands, too much nonproductive time; they can only train and polish equipment so much. The circumstances allow too much time to dwell on such things as their pensions and commiserating with their fellows on firehouse politics or on how the public does not appreciate their sacrifices or what the next meal will be.
Firefighters joined the force as spirited, young, very able folks and over time, the job boredom grinds many of them down into shells of their original selves and creates enclaves of whiners. Given the firefighters’good job benefits, they get locked in and economically unwilling to consider leaving the force to escape the boredom before they are pension-eligible.
My suggestion is to broaden the scope of their jobs, and make their jobs more interesting by making firefighters public safety officers.
With today’s communications technology there is no need for all firefighters to hang around at the station. These are capable people who, I am sure, could be crossed-trained for a broader public-safety role. They could be patrolling the streets, working in schools or participating in other safety functions while still being on call for fast response to fire or other emergencies.
The fire stations would be manned by a minimal, rotating staff of sufficient number only to get equipment to the emergency site. I would also suggest that the police force could be crossed-trained in firefighting — not necessarily as experts but able to accomplish the basic tasks. I suggest that the outcome would be more fulfilling with less boredom and improvement in public safety. Such a program could be started on a voluntary basis.
Paul Follett Wakefield
Tom Kenney: Follett’s drivel about firefighters
01:00 AM EST on Thursday, January 20, 2011
I couldn’t allow the letter-to-the-editor “Paul Follett: Underworked firefighters become whiners” go without rebuttal. ProJo’s editors have truly sunk to a new low by allowing such drivel to be printed.
Mr. Follett can take his cleverly-worded back-handed compliments to firefighters, “These are capable people who, I am sure, could be crossed-trained for a broader public-safety role” and go play with the lives and careers of someone else. He knows nothing about the job of firefighter. He makes many assumptions in his letter that are simply not true.
“…firefighters suffer from boredom; 10 percent of the time there are not enough firefighters to handle the task at hand, but the other 90 percent of the time there is too little to do.” Firefighters, despite what this man thinks, are not bored. He is right that about 10 percent of the time there are too few firefighters to do the task at hand, but his assertion that 90 percent of the time there is too little to do is ridiculous. Consequently all his conclusions from that point on are baseless.
He continually shows in his letter that he knows nothing about the importance of response time to an emergency. Response times, for the first-in fire company and for the entire first alarm assignment, are important criteria for determining the fire insurance rating of a municipality. Besides being an economic factor on their own, these rates show the effectiveness of a fire department to adequately protect the citizens of the city or town. These figures, minimum staffing levels and maximum response times, are not arbitrary numbers. They represent the real life factors to be considered when attempting to ascertain whether or not a fire department can reach the scene of a fire and stretch a hoseline into the building fast enough to save the life of a victim inside.
This cannot be done by having the on-duty firefighters separated in different areas of their districts doing different things. The company needs to respond together in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible – there’s a reason we have sirens on the trucks. Only by a quick response do we have a chance to make a save at a rapidly expanding fire. Mr. Follett’s ideas would be fine for a brush fire but not for a structure fire in an occupied building. These types of fires happen much more often than the general public is aware. Most do not make the news.
While it may be his uneducated opinion that “Firefighters joined the force as spirited, young, very able folks and over time, the job boredom grinds many of them down into shells of their original selves and creates enclaves of whiners,” it is far from the truth. Firefighters everywhere, rightfully, are insulted by this type of characterization. This is simply hateful propaganda on his part, with absolutely no basis in fact. We are not attempting to portray ourselves as super-heroes by any means, but we do put ourselves in harm’s way in order to protect our citizens and their property. It is a slap in the face to each of us that we have been talked about in this way the media (including ProJo) and uninformed citizens such as Mr. Follett.
Tom Kenney
01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The basic problem that firefighters face, which gets little attention, is that through no fault of their own, firefighters suffer from boredom; 10 percent of the time there are not enough firefighters to handle the task at hand, but the other 90 percent of the time there is too little to do.
Consequently, they have too much time on their hands between the peak demands, too much nonproductive time; they can only train and polish equipment so much. The circumstances allow too much time to dwell on such things as their pensions and commiserating with their fellows on firehouse politics or on how the public does not appreciate their sacrifices or what the next meal will be.
Firefighters joined the force as spirited, young, very able folks and over time, the job boredom grinds many of them down into shells of their original selves and creates enclaves of whiners. Given the firefighters’good job benefits, they get locked in and economically unwilling to consider leaving the force to escape the boredom before they are pension-eligible.
My suggestion is to broaden the scope of their jobs, and make their jobs more interesting by making firefighters public safety officers.
With today’s communications technology there is no need for all firefighters to hang around at the station. These are capable people who, I am sure, could be crossed-trained for a broader public-safety role. They could be patrolling the streets, working in schools or participating in other safety functions while still being on call for fast response to fire or other emergencies.
The fire stations would be manned by a minimal, rotating staff of sufficient number only to get equipment to the emergency site. I would also suggest that the police force could be crossed-trained in firefighting — not necessarily as experts but able to accomplish the basic tasks. I suggest that the outcome would be more fulfilling with less boredom and improvement in public safety. Such a program could be started on a voluntary basis.
Paul Follett Wakefield
Tom Kenney: Follett’s drivel about firefighters
01:00 AM EST on Thursday, January 20, 2011
I couldn’t allow the letter-to-the-editor “Paul Follett: Underworked firefighters become whiners” go without rebuttal. ProJo’s editors have truly sunk to a new low by allowing such drivel to be printed.
Mr. Follett can take his cleverly-worded back-handed compliments to firefighters, “These are capable people who, I am sure, could be crossed-trained for a broader public-safety role” and go play with the lives and careers of someone else. He knows nothing about the job of firefighter. He makes many assumptions in his letter that are simply not true.
“…firefighters suffer from boredom; 10 percent of the time there are not enough firefighters to handle the task at hand, but the other 90 percent of the time there is too little to do.” Firefighters, despite what this man thinks, are not bored. He is right that about 10 percent of the time there are too few firefighters to do the task at hand, but his assertion that 90 percent of the time there is too little to do is ridiculous. Consequently all his conclusions from that point on are baseless.
He continually shows in his letter that he knows nothing about the importance of response time to an emergency. Response times, for the first-in fire company and for the entire first alarm assignment, are important criteria for determining the fire insurance rating of a municipality. Besides being an economic factor on their own, these rates show the effectiveness of a fire department to adequately protect the citizens of the city or town. These figures, minimum staffing levels and maximum response times, are not arbitrary numbers. They represent the real life factors to be considered when attempting to ascertain whether or not a fire department can reach the scene of a fire and stretch a hoseline into the building fast enough to save the life of a victim inside.
This cannot be done by having the on-duty firefighters separated in different areas of their districts doing different things. The company needs to respond together in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible – there’s a reason we have sirens on the trucks. Only by a quick response do we have a chance to make a save at a rapidly expanding fire. Mr. Follett’s ideas would be fine for a brush fire but not for a structure fire in an occupied building. These types of fires happen much more often than the general public is aware. Most do not make the news.
While it may be his uneducated opinion that “Firefighters joined the force as spirited, young, very able folks and over time, the job boredom grinds many of them down into shells of their original selves and creates enclaves of whiners,” it is far from the truth. Firefighters everywhere, rightfully, are insulted by this type of characterization. This is simply hateful propaganda on his part, with absolutely no basis in fact. We are not attempting to portray ourselves as super-heroes by any means, but we do put ourselves in harm’s way in order to protect our citizens and their property. It is a slap in the face to each of us that we have been talked about in this way the media (including ProJo) and uninformed citizens such as Mr. Follett.
Tom Kenney
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
CHICAGO MOURNS...
Chicago mourns for two fallen brothers
As others have before
These occurrences are all too familiar
And I pray there be no more
But just as it’s certain that fires will come
It’s certain that more will die
‘cause there will always be people in peril
And firefighters will always try
They’ll try to save an innocent life
Even while risking their own
They’ll try to rescue another in danger
Though their condition be unknown
There’s no such thing as a vacant building
When arriving at a fire
They treat each one as if it were occupied
And the odds rise ever higher
As the homeless overfill our shelters
And they have nowhere to go
Turned away to fend for themselves
No plan for the overflow
Vacant buildings become makeshift homes
For those who have no voice
Trash fires for heat on wooden floors
For those who have no choice
These are the people firefighters seek out
When entering for their search
It matters not what they once were
A residence or factory or church
This happens every day for firefighters
They assume there’s someone inside
Be it Worcester, Charleston or another city
Opportunity and risk collide
These two brave firefighters from Chicago
Have paid the ultimate price
So until we can stop it from happening again
Our respect will have to suffice
Lt. Tom Kenney
Providence Fire Department
12/27/10
As others have before
These occurrences are all too familiar
And I pray there be no more
But just as it’s certain that fires will come
It’s certain that more will die
‘cause there will always be people in peril
And firefighters will always try
They’ll try to save an innocent life
Even while risking their own
They’ll try to rescue another in danger
Though their condition be unknown
There’s no such thing as a vacant building
When arriving at a fire
They treat each one as if it were occupied
And the odds rise ever higher
As the homeless overfill our shelters
And they have nowhere to go
Turned away to fend for themselves
No plan for the overflow
Vacant buildings become makeshift homes
For those who have no voice
Trash fires for heat on wooden floors
For those who have no choice
These are the people firefighters seek out
When entering for their search
It matters not what they once were
A residence or factory or church
This happens every day for firefighters
They assume there’s someone inside
Be it Worcester, Charleston or another city
Opportunity and risk collide
These two brave firefighters from Chicago
Have paid the ultimate price
So until we can stop it from happening again
Our respect will have to suffice
Lt. Tom Kenney
Providence Fire Department
12/27/10
Thursday, October 28, 2010
UNION MEMBERS -- BOYCOTT JOHN DEPETRO'S ADVERTISERS
Dear Union Member:
We represent a recently formed but rapidly expanding group of RI union members who are concerned with the lies being circulated by the media regarding hard-working men and women of this state. The latest issue with which we take personal offense (once again!) is the behavior of and the attacks on us by WPRO morning DJ John DePetro.
Mr. DePetro consistently falsely attacks the union members of this state with no regard for the truth. This, despite the blatant disregard he shows on a daily basis for truth, integrity and common decency toward the general public and his scorn for the working people of RI. He clearly has shown in the past, and continues to show via his actions and words, that he thinks that he is above the law and beyond reproach.
His blatant anti-gay statements (like the one that got him fired from his Boston DJ stint) and his falsely-based insults which he hurls regularly at municipal and state union workers (“Providence firefighters #1 on-the-job-injury is hemorrhoids, from sitting on their asses all day”) would be enough to get him fired in most outlets. These libelous comments are exacerbated by his lack of character in his personal life.
He had a well documented case of fraudulent ratings fixing which was swept under the rug by his radio station and the power of his advertisers. For his part in the cover-up of this story he shoved his wife under the bus by accusing her of the fraudulent act. Even with this, however, some sort of influence was exerted to make this investigation of “criminal” activity go away. Reportedly he was recently called to testify in a divorce proceeding as a witness to corroborate his involvement with a married woman and causing the breakdown of her marriage, only to be let off the hook by presumably talking another woman to take the fall in order to protect him.
It seems to us that this is not the type of person a reputable business would want as their spokesman. Therefore, we have asked in the past, and are asking once again for all union members to boycott Mr. DePetro’s advertisers. It is only in this manner that we feel we may convince WPRO-AM to discontinue his employment and remove him (and his immoral and hurtful propaganda) from his bully pulpit and his influence over the citizens of RI.
Below is a partial list of his advertisers which we call on you to boycott at all costs. Please share this information with friends, families and fellow union members.
Paul Masse Auto Group
Top of the Bay Restaurant *
Leonard Hair Transplant for Men *
Miracle Method *
Garage Headquarters
West Fountain Auto Body
Gilmore Furniture
Stephen Levesque Law
Frederickson Farm Greenhouse
In unity,
Tom Kenney
We represent a recently formed but rapidly expanding group of RI union members who are concerned with the lies being circulated by the media regarding hard-working men and women of this state. The latest issue with which we take personal offense (once again!) is the behavior of and the attacks on us by WPRO morning DJ John DePetro.
Mr. DePetro consistently falsely attacks the union members of this state with no regard for the truth. This, despite the blatant disregard he shows on a daily basis for truth, integrity and common decency toward the general public and his scorn for the working people of RI. He clearly has shown in the past, and continues to show via his actions and words, that he thinks that he is above the law and beyond reproach.
His blatant anti-gay statements (like the one that got him fired from his Boston DJ stint) and his falsely-based insults which he hurls regularly at municipal and state union workers (“Providence firefighters #1 on-the-job-injury is hemorrhoids, from sitting on their asses all day”) would be enough to get him fired in most outlets. These libelous comments are exacerbated by his lack of character in his personal life.
He had a well documented case of fraudulent ratings fixing which was swept under the rug by his radio station and the power of his advertisers. For his part in the cover-up of this story he shoved his wife under the bus by accusing her of the fraudulent act. Even with this, however, some sort of influence was exerted to make this investigation of “criminal” activity go away. Reportedly he was recently called to testify in a divorce proceeding as a witness to corroborate his involvement with a married woman and causing the breakdown of her marriage, only to be let off the hook by presumably talking another woman to take the fall in order to protect him.
It seems to us that this is not the type of person a reputable business would want as their spokesman. Therefore, we have asked in the past, and are asking once again for all union members to boycott Mr. DePetro’s advertisers. It is only in this manner that we feel we may convince WPRO-AM to discontinue his employment and remove him (and his immoral and hurtful propaganda) from his bully pulpit and his influence over the citizens of RI.
Below is a partial list of his advertisers which we call on you to boycott at all costs. Please share this information with friends, families and fellow union members.
Paul Masse Auto Group
Top of the Bay Restaurant *
Leonard Hair Transplant for Men *
Miracle Method *
Garage Headquarters
West Fountain Auto Body
Gilmore Furniture
Stephen Levesque Law
Frederickson Farm Greenhouse
In unity,
Tom Kenney
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Independent Party
The Independent Party
I’ve long argued that we need a 3rd political party in the U.S. I called it the Common Sense Party. A party that looked at every issue with a large dose of common sense, rather than political partisanship.
Well, I’ve changed my mind on that – sort of.
I now believe that the answer to our political system being bogged down with those who vote along party lines is more Independent elected officials in our U.S. and state congressional seats. Think about it. Independent Senators or Representatives would be voted in solely on the merit of their political views on the important issues that face our country or our state. Presumably these views would be drawn from a combination of both parties as well as independently thought out compromises of each issue. A Independent would be similar to a moderate member of either the Democratic or Republican Party.
As such, our Independent thinker would hold no loyalties to either party. Our Independent thinker would not contribute to stalemate in our nation’s or state’s capitol. Our Independent thinker would not contribute to the current situation of changing course 180 degrees every election cycle.
The result would be that the Independents would soon hold the power in the House and Senate. They would be the key swing votes of every piece of legislation being considered for passage. The extremists in each party would have to sway the majority of Independents (presumably the more moderate members of Congress who are more likely to vote strictly on the merits of the bill as opposed to voting along party lines) in order to get their bills passed. This would put the real power in the hands of people who are more concerned with the state of their country or their state – people whose views are more in line with the average citizen.
I’ve long argued that we need a 3rd political party in the U.S. I called it the Common Sense Party. A party that looked at every issue with a large dose of common sense, rather than political partisanship.
Well, I’ve changed my mind on that – sort of.
I now believe that the answer to our political system being bogged down with those who vote along party lines is more Independent elected officials in our U.S. and state congressional seats. Think about it. Independent Senators or Representatives would be voted in solely on the merit of their political views on the important issues that face our country or our state. Presumably these views would be drawn from a combination of both parties as well as independently thought out compromises of each issue. A Independent would be similar to a moderate member of either the Democratic or Republican Party.
As such, our Independent thinker would hold no loyalties to either party. Our Independent thinker would not contribute to stalemate in our nation’s or state’s capitol. Our Independent thinker would not contribute to the current situation of changing course 180 degrees every election cycle.
The result would be that the Independents would soon hold the power in the House and Senate. They would be the key swing votes of every piece of legislation being considered for passage. The extremists in each party would have to sway the majority of Independents (presumably the more moderate members of Congress who are more likely to vote strictly on the merits of the bill as opposed to voting along party lines) in order to get their bills passed. This would put the real power in the hands of people who are more concerned with the state of their country or their state – people whose views are more in line with the average citizen.
Friday, September 10, 2010
TEN SECONDS
.
Ten seconds...
Ten seconds is a very long time
When that’s all you have left to live
There’s time enough to make your peace
But not time enough to give…
…to give your sweetheart one more kiss
Or to squeeze her oh so tight
Not time to give your kids assurance that
Everything will be all right
From the moment that I began this job
I’ve prepared myself for this day
So now as He suddenly calls me home
It seems I already know the way
Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom
Like a freight train bearing down
I instantly knew how this would end
That’s when I felt His peace surround…
…surround my body, surround my soul
Surround my brothers in arms
I then felt His love, like a giant cloak
Come to shelter us from harm
While answering the call that day
I saw the second plane
It glided through the cloudless sky
Then burst into fire-like rain
It rained down fire, it rained down dust
It rained down bodies, too
It seemed that no matter how much we tried
There was nothing we could do
We knew that the people trapped above
The hole that ripped into the tower
Could never escape, with their mortal lives
Without the aid of His awesome power
I prayed that day, a silent prayer
As I stepped inside the lobby
I knew that without His holy intervention
We’d merely be recovering bodies
We began climbing up the narrow stairs
While others were heading out
And as we passed these frightened victims
Some began to shout…
“God bless you, our brave firemen
You’re heroes to us all”
But we were simply doing our jobs
Just answering the call
We knew when we began the fight
That we all might not survive
But by risking our lives for those of others
We manage to keep our dream alive
Our dream that good always conquers evil
And that God will help get us through
He’ll reward us all with eternal life
Our immortal souls begin anew
I saw the face of God that day
As He led me from this place
His will, not ours, will be done
I try to accept this fact with grace
I understood, at once, that day
What firemen were sent here for
Watch over the endangered as best we can
Of no man could you ask more
Ten seconds is a very long time…
Ten seconds...
Ten seconds is a very long time
When that’s all you have left to live
There’s time enough to make your peace
But not time enough to give…
…to give your sweetheart one more kiss
Or to squeeze her oh so tight
Not time to give your kids assurance that
Everything will be all right
From the moment that I began this job
I’ve prepared myself for this day
So now as He suddenly calls me home
It seems I already know the way
Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom
Like a freight train bearing down
I instantly knew how this would end
That’s when I felt His peace surround…
…surround my body, surround my soul
Surround my brothers in arms
I then felt His love, like a giant cloak
Come to shelter us from harm
While answering the call that day
I saw the second plane
It glided through the cloudless sky
Then burst into fire-like rain
It rained down fire, it rained down dust
It rained down bodies, too
It seemed that no matter how much we tried
There was nothing we could do
We knew that the people trapped above
The hole that ripped into the tower
Could never escape, with their mortal lives
Without the aid of His awesome power
I prayed that day, a silent prayer
As I stepped inside the lobby
I knew that without His holy intervention
We’d merely be recovering bodies
We began climbing up the narrow stairs
While others were heading out
And as we passed these frightened victims
Some began to shout…
“God bless you, our brave firemen
You’re heroes to us all”
But we were simply doing our jobs
Just answering the call
We knew when we began the fight
That we all might not survive
But by risking our lives for those of others
We manage to keep our dream alive
Our dream that good always conquers evil
And that God will help get us through
He’ll reward us all with eternal life
Our immortal souls begin anew
I saw the face of God that day
As He led me from this place
His will, not ours, will be done
I try to accept this fact with grace
I understood, at once, that day
What firemen were sent here for
Watch over the endangered as best we can
Of no man could you ask more
Ten seconds is a very long time…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
