I never realized how much dedication firemen and women have until I fell in love with one. From there, I began to watch my firefighter uncle more closely, as my best friend went through an academy.
Of course, you love your firefighter, and that's why you care, and why you worry so much.
The crazy fast beeps from a small black walkie-talkie looking thing can make a firefighter's girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife's heart stop.
That firefighter will jump up, stop whatever they are doing grab keys, shoot out the door and off they go.
There might be kids playing in the backyard, dinner cooking in the oven or a half-mowed lawn but when the voice from that black box attached to their belts shouts out an address and a problem, that firefighter's mind completely changes.
By no means do they forget the good they have at home, but there is a certain heroism that triggers their brain to get to that fire to save their neighbor's kids and pets.
They say "I'll be back soon," kiss you on the forehead, and leave you hoping there is a tomorrow.
Or you're on a lunch date with your best friend, and she cuts its short because the pager beeped and there is a possible gas leak on 89th and Broadway.
A firefighter works long hours, they are rarely at home in time for dinner, and there are a lot of lonely nights for a spouse sleeping in a bed made for two.
It's a constant worry, the fireman jumps up no problem, but my head spins when I hear a fire engine roar down the street.
When you become the significant other of a firefighter, or maybe you're born into it, your mom, your dad, this is their chosen profession and you have no choice but to suck it up. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
Why certainly, it's a "high-risk job" but so much more comes along with that. But in all the bad, I wouldn't want it any other way. With the pride your firefighter has in their job, you get a pride in your firefighter's passion. Their love for their family, friends and community are outrageous.
I observed my best friend, a girl, go through six months in the academy. Long hours at the gym, carrying gear in the back of her truck, and every conversation ended up in some fire talk.
I listen to my boyfriend after a call, sometimes it's a good talk and sometimes someone didn't make it. But I know there is a brotherhood within a department, and what I can't take care of, a fellow fighter can!
There is a certain respect I have for anyone who serves as a fireman. And though it's my heart that gets heavy when my family, friends, or boyfriend get called into work, I'm always cheering from the sidelines in pure admiration.
My worry drives them. The community's need is the reason they chose this path. #isupportourfirefighters
