30 Years of Fighting Fires

My dad retired in December 2009 as a 30-year firefighter with El Dorado County Fire in Northern California. If you count his time as a volunteer firefighter, he spent 32 years doing something that he loved to do - helping people every day. He is a humble guy who didn't ask for any hoopla for his retirement, but we decided he needed at least a little recognition from his family.

I had heard of a Las Vegas firefighter who created fire artwork, and kept that piece of info in the back of my mind for just this occasion. Fire Art is a company that creates customized artwork to show the individual firefighter actually in the art.

In Moment of Truth, the firefighter is shown facing the fire - the turnouts have my dad's name on them, El Dorado County Fire, his engine number, and they match the style and color of his gear. His helmet is also a match and we even took off the protective goggles that he never liked wearing. The artist created a custom sticker that all of the firefighters wear on their helmets to honor a fallen friend. Little touches like that made it really cool - and we were all so happy to give it to him, along with another piece that illustrated a California structure fire, similar to many calls my dad has been on. It even showed the type of tool he used most to pull down burning ceilings.

Unfortunately, I think the years of fighting the politics and personalities within the department instead of fires helped to fade his love for certain parts of the job - but it was his time away from the desk that he enjoyed most. I was always so proud to say my dad was a firefighter - it seemed like a much cooler job than most dads had. He is still very much involved in that tight-knit community - serving on the Fire Board, as an expert in union relations for a local law firm, and as a member of the only award-winning bagpipe and drum team in California made up exclusively of firefighters.

I just want to thank my dad for providing for our family - and for my mom for helping to make that career possible. She was alone during those times when dad was gone for days at a time, or even a week at a time during a wildland fire. I don't know if I would have handled that as well as she did.

I tried to express myself when all of us presented my dad with these visual reminders of his career, but of course I said about 5 words and started crying. So much for being the spokesperson... I am just very grateful for the many blessings that I had growing up, and still receive from being born into my family. I love you Dad!