Do You See What I See?

Look at this picture and think of what you see ...
It's a photo of the recent White Bay Hotel fire. You can see the hotel, one of the fire trucks, the awning starting to collapse and maybe even the pouring rain. Some of the things you can't see are the two firefighters inside the building at the precise moment when the fire flashed over and the hotel exploded - causing the awning to fall, and their SO knowing he could do absolutely nothing to help his firefighters and hoping & praying he didn't have to make the terrible journey to their families to tell them they had suffered an injury or worse. Thankfully, both firefighters escaped without serious injury - they had gone inside the abandoned hotel because their SO knew that sometimes there were squatters inside the building, and if anyone was inside they needed to be rescued quickly. Shortly after they entered the hotel, the fire flashed over, as the accelerant probably used to start the fire exploded pretty much without warning. My husband was at the fire that night, on another appliance. He had to sit out in the pouring rain ensuring the safety of his fellow firefighter atop an aerial appliance, pouring water onto the fire. I can look at this photo and marvel at the power of fire and the bravery of the firefighters, but knowing the story behind it, I can also appreciate the terror of being caught in such a situation. May God protect all of those men & women who choose this as their career: putting their own safety on the line in order to protect the lives & property of others.

Today's quote: "When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work." ~Edward F. Croker