Are we Heroes?

The following is a letter to the editor of the Falmouth Enterprise on Friday, March 7, 2008:

Falmouth's Finest Heroes

As a longtime resident of Falmouth, since February 24, 1964, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting 12 of Falmouth's finest heroes, not that I wanted to under the circumstances.You see, my house was on fire.

As a three-time veteran with 31 years of service in the military and recently returned from Baghdad, truly I now what makes a hero. As I stood outside my home of 30 years one will never know what was going through my mind. But as I watched these brave men answering the call, my adrenaline, anxiety, and stress level were clearly lowering to one of ease. These men clearly showed me how they fight fires on the front lines in America and our communities. You could definitely see how they go to work, leaving behind wives, husbands, or loved ones at home when duty calls, with no regard for themselves. They form a family and bond as brothers and sisters to fight fires, to protect lives and personal property, and sometimes give their own lives for our nation and communities while doing their job. The whole time you could clearly see an orchestrated or Swiss-watch work team and wingman-to-wingman operation above and beyond the call of duty to save my home. As a result of their brave actions, my home was spared and no lives lost.

As they left, I thanked them from the bottom of my heart for saving my home. Their reply was, they were just doing their job and thank God no one was hurt. Truly, that is a hero's reply. I cannot thank you all enough times, but from the bottom of my heart once again, thank you for putting your lives on the line, for the jobs you men and women do in our nation and communities, and for saving my home.

As you all fight on the home front lines, we will continue abroad with deepest respect, admiration, and regards for all you do, Truly, you are all my heroes.

MSgt. Steven O. DeLeon USAFR and Katherine C. DeLeon
Seacoast Shores Boulevard
East Falmouth

Heroes are different things to different people. When I was younger, my Dad was my hero. As I grew, perhaps it became Yaz or Orr, yet I am not sure they ever replaced Dad. When we watch a war movie, it was the person who took the chances, lead the charge, and then died or are wounded at the end. Today, my heroes come in different shapes and forms. What did they do? Why did they do it?

So, are firefighters heroes? Yes... Some of them, not all.

Looking back a few years, I can remember being placed in circumstances where I thought it got a little hairy. Once at a building fire, myself and three other men were on the second floor of a building when the roof collapsed around us. It made for a great picture in the paper, but were we heroes? In the excitement of fighting the fire, and not looking at the big picture around us, we put ourselves in a position to fail. Nobody was inside and the property was going to have to be demolished. Not only that but we put other firefighters at risk because of our actions. Certainly this is not heroic, but foolish. As I have learned, experience will be a great lesson. The photo above is that building we were in (Century Irish Pub, Falmouth).

Another incident that comes to mind is a Mutual Aid fire next to the Town Hall in Mashpee. Upon arrival at that incident, we were assigned roof ventilation. While walking the ridge line with three other firefighters, the roof suddenly became soft, and I stepped through the roof with one leg, falling to above my knee. The firefighter behind me (Bob Dutra) grabbed me quickly so I went no deeper. To this day I don't know if I would have stopped or continued to fall. Everything we did right correct. We stuck together as a crew, wore proper protective equipment, and had tools with us (yes, I was sounding the roof before me as we went). Sometimes, I guess things just happen. Nobody's fault... just a hazard of the job. Was Bob a hero?

There was also a water rescue off Old Silver Beach one summer, where a group of people got caught in the rip tide. Among others, FF's Scott Williamson and Doug Sabens were off duty and were at the scene. They managed to find a canoe and went out to help, and eventually all these people got in safely. Is this a heroic act?

There are many other incidents we can think about... some dramatic, and others not. How about the EMT and Paramedic intervention before hospital care, be it cardiac arrest when someone is actually saved, to giving a patient the correct drugs preventing further damage to the heart or brain?

Pessimists, be it in the public or in our department say we are not heroes, but that we did our job. Optimists say anytime someone puts their life in a position to save others it is a heroic act. As I write this, who can forgot Lenny Skutnik, a man I still see jumping into the icy Potomac River, saving life after life for the airliner that crashed? Certainly to me, this man is a hero.

Reading SSgt DeLeon's letter, I can't help but notice his profession... it is not much different than ours. Both firefighters and soldiers have volunteered for public service and protection. When the bell rings we both respond to perform the jobs we selected. Each and every day lives are put on the line in both our professions, so that we can help the cause of others. Are SSgt DeLeon and the other soldiers and airmen heroes?