Firefighters' Prayers
Firefighters' Prayers Page for all
our Fallen Firefighters in New York and everywhere.
A Firefighter's Prayer
When I answer a call,
I never know what my fate may be
So, as I run out the door,
I ask God to watch over me
No matter what I may face
and the danger that awaits
I Just say a little prayer
'cause in His hands lie my fate
By doing this, I feel a little bit safer
If you need a reason, this is what I pray for :
I pray for my fellow firefighters and me
I pray for our families
I pray for my mom and my dad
And what a wonderful life I have
I pray for a safe return
And that no one gets burned
I pray that no matter what ill fate
Our lives to take, God will wait
But, if He doesn't, we shall unserstand
Why God had to take such a brave man
A couple of seconds is all it takes...
-B.A. Mach
Firefighter’s Prayer
When duty calls me, oh Lord, my partner,
When flames do their destructive work,
Give me strength to save lives
And, above all, keep my courage bright.
With you will I reach, before it's too late,
The injured child, the helpless old person,
With your generosity, may I be able
To spare them the horror of such an end.
Since I must always be alert,
I pray thee, oh Lord, guide my every move,
And in the infernal tumult of the fire
Let me hear the feeblest cry.
I will glory in the fulfillment of my destiny,
For is not life-saving the most noble calling?
When the storm is over and all have returned home,
Then will I be proud to have helped my neighbor.
If it should happen, by thy will,
That I must give my life,
I pray thee, protect my family
And bless this firefighter who is yours.
Other words and poems about and
from
our Firefighters:
I provide a faceless,
nameless service to a community that rarely knows how much they need me.
If I am called from a
sound sleep to sacrifice my life, attempting to save the life and property
of someone I do not know . . . . .I will do so without regret.
Gone
But Not Forgotten
by
Firefighter James Price
Jefferson Parish Fire Department
"Hey mom,!"
He yelled from the attic door, "What's these old heavy boots and hard
hat for?"
With a lump in her
throat and a tear stained cheek, His mother swallowed and started to
speak.
"Come here my
son," his mother said, "There's things to tell when I clear my
head."
The past raced madly
through her mind; She searched her heart, the words to find.
At last she sighed and
rubbed his hair, And the words that followed I'd like to share.
"Those boots and
hat," she said with pride, "Were worn by a man with grit inside.
He wore them to help
people in need, Though facing danger, would never concede.
Many a time in the dead
of the night, He jumped in those boots and flashed out of sight.
To answer a call and
not knowing for sure What danger or heartache he may have to endure.
Your father, my son,
was not like most dads, It was mainly because of the job that he had.
His life was devoted to
all of mankind, And just why he choose it, is not clear in my mind.
I've often regretted
the life that we led, When every third night I was alone in our bed.
But your mother is
proud to say she was a part Of a man who possessed such a courageous
heart.
Though, for all his
discomfort and all of his pain The time he spent here was never in vain.
So the memories I've
kept and the love I will save Are small consolations for the life that he
gave.
Your father's days here
made other's seem brighter, For your father, my son, was a
Firefighter."
I
Wish You Could
See the
sadness of a business man as his livelihood goes up in flames, or that
family returning home, only too find their house and belongings damaged or
lost for good.
Know what it is like too search a burning bedroom for trapped children,
flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl,
the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen below you burns.
Comprehend a wife's horror at 3a.m. as I check her husband of 40 years for
a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping to bring him back,
knowing intuitively it is too late. But wanting his wife and family to
know everything possible was done too try too save his life.
Know the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled
mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of
flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in
dense smoke-sensations that I've become too familiar with.
Understand how it feels to go to work in the morning after having spent
most of the night, hot and soaking wet at a multiple alarm fire.
Read my mind as I respond to a building fire "Is this a false alarm
or a working fire? How is the building constructed?
What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to an EMS call,
"What is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or life-threatening? Is
the caller really in distress or is he waiting for us with a 2x4 or a
gun?"
Be in the emergency room as a doctor pronounces dead the beautiful
five-year old girl that I have been trying too save during the past 25
minutes - who will never go on her first date or say the words, "I
love you Mommy" again.
Know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine or my personal
vehicle, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm
tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as you fail to yield the
right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic.
When you need us however, your first comment upon our arrival will be,
"It took you forever to get here!"
Know my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the
remains of her automobile. "What if this was my sister, my girlfriend
or a friend? What were her parents reaction going to be when they opened
the door to find a police officer with hat in hand?"
Know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and
family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back
from the last call.
Feel the hurt as people verbally, and sometimes physically, abuse us or
belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes of "It will
never happen to me."
Realize the physical, emotional and mental drain or missed meals, lost
sleep and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my
eyes have seen.
Know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or
preserving someone's property, or being able to be there in time of
crisis, or creating order from total chaos.
Understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging at your arm and
asking, "Is Mommy okay?" Not even being able to look in his eyes
without tears from your own and not knowing what to say.
Or to have to hold back a long time friend who watches his buddy having
rescue breathing done on him as they take him away in the ambulance. You
know all along he did not have his seat belt on. A sensation that I have
become too familiar with.
Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never truly
understand or appreciate who I am, we are, or what our job really means to
us...
I wish you could though.
