For My Dad

(Yes, this is my version of Paul Harvey's speech from the Ram Trucks commercial)

And on the ninth day...(having already made the farmer)

God looked down at his planned paradise and said "I need a protector." 

So God made a firefighter.

God Said, "I need someone willing to get up before dawn, clean his truck, take runs all day, clean his truck again, eat a cold dinner and stay up past midnight at a head on collision."

So God made a firefighter.

God said, "I need someone to stay up all night trying to save a family's home from the flames only to watch it collapse, then dry his eyes and say "roll the hose." I need someone who will revive crackheads, swing an axe to save people trapped on the other side, cut the roof off of a car without hurting the occupants, who can treat three injured people with a half empty medic bag and cops breathing down his neck to clear the scene. Who, because of vacations and layoffs, will work his 24 go home and sleep for six hours then work overnight overtime only to return the next day for his tour at 0700."

So God made a firefighter.

God said, "I need someone strong enough to lift old people and carry hose yet gentle enough to comfort children and donate Christmas presents to the needy and spend his off days filling the boot for MDA. It has to be someone who would work late and complete all of his run reports after cleaning up Crew 2's mess. Someone who'd carry, hold, fight, save, live, survive and thrive. Someone who'd be there for his brothers by watching their backs and picking them up when they fell.

Someone who will miss baseball games, gymnastics performances, birthdays and anniversaries; who would laugh, sigh, and reply with smiling eyes when his son said 'It's ok dad. I'm glad that you're here now." 

So God made a firefighter.

For my dad, Ralph Conrad. Lancaster Firefighter/Paramedic and proud member of IAFF Local 291.