We all know of firefighters being these big and strong men and women who go into burning buildings and fight the big and vicious fires and save the lives of the men, women, and children who may be in these burning buildings.

It hits differently, though, when the big and strong firefighter is someone you love and care about most; someone you have known since they were a baby.

When that brave firefighter is your baby brother.

Take a step back and think about it, those strong men who are going into these huge, vicious and terrifying fires… Is someone's son, best friend, and little brother. It doesn't matter what time of day it is or whether it's a holiday or not… You never know if he'll be home that day or if you won't see him again until tomorrow morning.

When the pager goes off, my brother is running out the door. Then the suit and equipment go on and he is in the truck and ready to go. It's honestly a weird but cool feeling seeing your little brother in the huge red truck, a little bit of comical irony I guess you could say. But, in all actuality, it's a surreal feeling watching your little brother take leadership in your community.

I wonder sometimes what he thinks about while on a call. Does he ever get scared or nervous? You never know the severity of the call that he gets until you read about it and see pictures from people in the area on social media or, if nobody posts anything, you won't find out until he comes home and you never really know the answer to that question until he lets you know that he's safe and back at the station. Is there a big adrenalin rush that comes along when he gets a call? I mean, I would imagine so, but I don't know for sure because I have never been in his shoes and I haven't experienced it. To be honest, I don't think I would want to experience it either. Personally speaking, I would be too scared to do the job. I give the kid a lot of credit.

It's as if the shoe is on the other foot, and suddenly he's not looking up to you but you are looking up to him...

He's no longer that little kid anymore, you have gotten to watch him grow up before your very eyes and turn into the hero you never knew you needed. Words can't seem to describe the amount of pride I have in knowing that my brother is one of the many men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice and risk their lives every day to help save the lives of others in their community.