I get pretty tired of my job sometimes. You have probably experienced the feeling when you wake up one morning and the thought of spending another day at work hurts your head.
Even so, I never have to worry about my profession putting me in danger, even though I may occasionally whine and have days when all I want to do is lie in bed and watch TV.
Even though it’s not something that most of us stop to think about on a daily basis, there are many benefits to that. It is true that it is simple to overlook that there are occupations that present both a mental and an actual risk to their practitioners.
One is serving as a firefighter. In my opinion, firefighters should be given more credit for the courage they display just by showing up for work every day. However, a picture that is currently circulating online rightfully brings attention to firefighters and the absurd conditions they occasionally work in.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a firefighter—that is, if my NBA career didn’t work out—but these days, I’m glad that other people are doing it instead of me.
Despite my fear of fire, there aren’t many things I would be less excited about than plunging headfirst into a burning building.
Thankfully for society, not everyone thinks the same way I do. Every time a major disaster or fire occurs, there are courageous people who willingly put their lives in danger to save others and reduce the number of casualties.
And no, we’re not just talking about the heroic deeds of dragging people out of burning automobiles or into blazing apartment buildings; we’re also talking about the times when firemen fight wildfires, one of the most dangerous and devastating natural forces on the planet.
You probably already know all too well the devastation that wildfires can inflict if you reside in a nation where they frequently occur. Naturally, they don’t just quit burning on their own; given the chance to run amok, they will kill almost everything in their path.
Firefighters are useful in this situation. They surge in to try their hardest to stop the fires’ advance, sparing many lives in the process, as opposed to leaving the afflicted areas like everyone else is told to do.
One such wildfire that was blazing in Portugal a few years ago required the combined abilities of 1,150 firefighters to contain its spread.
Although the post-apocalyptic image was terrifying to witness, it did result in an amazing photo that demonstrated the amazing effort firefighters perform to keep people safe.
According to accounts, the picture was uploaded by a man by the name of Pedro Brás, who said, “After fighting the Góis Forest Fire for a night and a day, we were entitled to 25 minutes of river beach, although it was covered in smoke.”
The aforementioned image featured a bunch of firefighters who were so exhausted that they had practically collapsed into a lawn to get some slumber.
Pedro reports that after fighting the wildfire uninterrupted for twenty-four hours, the firemen took a quick 25-minute break.
I don’t know about you, but I believe that firefighters everywhere ought to get greater recognition and appreciation for their efforts.