Reflections & Tributes
Personal essays, tributes and stories from the firehouse.
Jim Page and Johnny Gage: Two Legends, One Lasting Legacy
The recent passing of Randolph Mantooth, the actor who brought firefighter-paramedic Johnny Gage to life on the groundbreaking television series Emergency!, has caused many of us…
The Missing Presence: “Nine Sisters” at the 7th Annual Fire Service Psychology Association Conference
The 7th Annual Conference of the Fire Service Psychology Association (FSPA), held on October 3-4, 2024, in Washington, D.C. was a significant event aimed at bridging…
Ode to an officer and a gentleman
Today I learned of the passing of a former friend and colleague from my days with the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire and EMS Department, Lieutenant (Ret.) Bobby…
In honor of my Queen, the unsinkable Mrs. Avsec
My wife of 40+ years, Wilma Lester Avsec, died last Saturday, October 31, 2020 at CAMC Memorial Hospital here in Charleston, WV. I'd taken her there on Monday, October 26th, because she'd been taking medicine and breathing treatments for bronchitis since the previous Thursday, however by Monday morning she was not getting better.
Never Forget: September 11, 2001
World Trade Center, Towers I and II, New York City The U.S. Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Eastside Fire and Rescue and the Rudolph Engine
Each year, the firefighters with Eastside (Wash.) Fire and Rescue and IAFF Local 2878 team up with HopeLink of Sno-Valley, a non-profit organization, for the holidays to spread holiday cheer and help the less fortunate members of the communities they serve. The flagship for this effort is an Eastside fire engine decked out with lights, music, a sleigh carrying Santa and Rudolph the Reindeer atop the engine that leads the way through several communities collecting unwrapped toys, food and clothing.
Four Firefighters and a Woman Named Sue
As each of my fire service brothers went up to the front of the room to receive their award plaque—along with a big hug—from Sue, words cannot adequately describe seeing the genuine bond that had been forged between those rescuers and their “rescuee” by this catastrophic event.
Heroes All–19 Fallen and One to Carry On
Let us never forget that there were 20 members on the Prescott-based Granite Mountain Hotshots on that fateful June 30th, 2013.