The Creation of the Firefighter
When the Lord was creating Firefighters, he was into his sixth day of
overtime when an angel
appeared and said, "Your doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said "Have you read the specification on this person?
Firefighters have to be able to
go for hours fighting fires or tending to a person that the usual every day
person would never touch,
while putting in the back of their mind the circumstances. They have to be
able to move at a
second's notice and not think twice of what they are about to do, no matter
what danger. They have
to be in top physical condition at all times, running on half-eaten meals,
and they must have six pairs
of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems, " said the Lord, "it's the
three pairs of eyes a
Firefighter has to have."
That's on the standard model? " asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. " One pair that sees through the fire and where they and
their fellow Firefighters
should fight the fire next. Another pair here in the side of the head to see
their fellow Firefighters and
keep them safe. And another pair of eyes in the front so that they can look
for the victims caught in
the fire that need their help."
"Lord" said the angel, touching his sleeve, " Rest and work on this
tomorrow."
"I can't, said the Lord, "I already have a model that can carry a 250 pound
man down a flight of
stairs and to safety from a burning building, and can feed a family of five
on a civil service
paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the Firefighter very slowly, "Can it think?"
"You bet," said the Lord. It can tell you the elements of a hundred fires;
and can recite procedures
in their sleep that are needed to care for a person until they reach the
hospital. And all the while they
have to keep their wits about themselves. This Firefighter also has
phenomenal personal control.
They can deal with a scene full of pain and hurt, coaxing a child's mother
into letting go of the child
so that they can care for the child in need. And still they rarely get the
recognition for a job well
done from anybody, other than from fellow Firefighters."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the
Firefighter. "There's a leak",
she pronounced. "Lord, it's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's a tear from bottled-up emotions for fallen comrades. A tear for
commitment to that funny piece
of cloth called the American Flag. It's a tear for all the pain and
suffering they have encountered.
And it's a tear for their commitment to caring for and saving lives of their
fellow man!"
"What a wonderful feature Lord, you're a genius" said the angel.
The Lord looked somber and said "I didn't put it there."
"Author Unknown"
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