Last week, Buffalo lost 2 firefighters in a deli fire. Both were young, fathers with children. The first was a Lt with a 6 month old grandchild. The second, much younger, was from Ladder 7, where my Dad worked for the entire time he was on the Dept. This young man had a child, a fiancee, and a baby boy due in 3 weeks. The young man was the step son of one of my former co-workers, who I saw on TV with the firefighter's mother. My friend treated this step son as his own. They were very close.
Firefighters hold a very special place in my heart because of my Dad. They are a special & unique breed of people. They are very human - often needing assistance with grief counseling following tragic & often violent situations. My Dad often had nightmares from the situations he was in. When they lose one of their own - it is very much like losing a family member.
I remember a police officer telling me after Josh died "we are human too - it was something that I didn't want to see and hope never to see again".
Seeing the funerals was just devastating and highly emotional.
Love,
Dena, Josh's Mom