firefighter-safety-health

As firefighters, we see and do things on a daily basis that most people never will (and shouldn't have to). We see and do these things without hesitation yet there was no way we could have known or been prepared for the life we were about to devote and expose ourselves to.

The funeral is scheduled for 11am (EST). Live coverage below …. RFB (Remember Fallen Brothers)! Previous coverage / details HERE Captain Wines

DC Fire & EMS Lt. Kevin McRae collapsed after descending the stairs with his crew following a fire on the 9th floor of an apartment building located at 1330 7th Street NW.

Maybe, without even knowing; we are dragging these cancer causing agents around with us... depositing them everywhere we go. In our rigs, back to the station, in the bunk room beside our bed at nights.

Can you imagine searching for victims in all this destruction while not even knowing that your own family is safe? Responding to a street that doesn't even exist any more?

Take Randy's new Department for example.... in my opinion ... just like others all across the Country (paid and volunteer); single member staffing and POV response is a gamble. IT'S A GAMBLE WITH FIREFIGHTER'S LIVES!

This was not an accident. It wasn't a car wreck or an act of violence by someone else's hand. This wasn't a stranger I was looking at ... it was my brother laying there ... it was JACKSON and I knew what I was seeing. He was dead. What I didn't know was why.

For those of you not on the job I'll offer this brief explanation. "Making the push" is what Firefighters do once they get to (or near) the fire floor / room. It's what happens after we get to the point of no return... to the point of attack (or a difficult search).

And here's the thing ... you can only "step up" so much .... especially when there's no (or little) forward movement or improvement. You can only beat your head against the wall for so long before you eventually develop a headache.

I can't describe the feeling in your gut as you're crawling down that dark, hot hallway. So dark that you can't see the lens of your face piece and so hot that your bottle is hot enough to heat the air you try to breath. I can't tell you why it is that we keep pushing / going but we do.