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"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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