Jennie Lancaster: Firefighters are real heroes

I join our community in grateful recognition of our fireman and their service last week. Their expertise, resilience, courage, training and steadfast efforts protected life and minimized damage to property.

We believe they are our heroes, but for me, they are family who spend a lifetime “doing their job” by always responding to the potential dangers on every call. They also teach our kids, rescue our pets, perform community services and quietly serve us, 24-7, away from their families.

I grew up in Wilson with a fire bell beside my bedroom. My father was the fire chief, serving over 30 years faithfully. His mentor was my grandfather, who also served the city as the fire chief, who had a career building the department.

I saw the sacrifice, compassion and, sometimes, sorrow in the life of our firemen. They are our neighbors and do not seek the “limelight” yet occasionally we see them vividly simply “doing their job.”

So proud, so grateful I grew up in their midst.

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 6:39 PM with the headline "Jennie Lancaster: Firefighters are real heroes."