Nick Picozzi Jr. never flinched when he heard the alarm.
He simply did what he and his band of dedicated brothers always do. He answered the call.
It wasn’t the first time. No one thought it would be the last. That is the daunting danger volunteer firefighters face every time they answer the bell.
We spent much of yesterday talking about Picozzi, who was killed in a fire in an Upper Chichester home. That’s part of the problem.
Too often we take Picozzi and the other dedicated volunteers that man all those fire houses that dot the Delaware County landscape for granted.
We are comfortable tucked away in our little suburban cocoons knowing that someone like Picozzi will answer the call when that bell sounds.
As we roll over in our beds, they simply roll.
That’s what they did again yesterday, responding to an urgent plea, a house on fire in their town.
Most of these dedicated men and women perform their invaluable service in anonymity.
Until something goes wrong. As it did yesterday.
And as it did back in August, when six firefighters were injured battling a blaze inside a Parkside townhouse. Or a month later in Sharon Hill, when volunteer Michael Reagan lost his life battling a garage fire. Five other firefighters suffered injuries that day.
In a span of seven months, that’s three serious incidents involving volunteer firefighters.
The loss is tragic. Towns, families and the volunteers now will use their unique bond to once again come together and mourn one of their own.
We will join them in mourning.
But we should all to something else as well. Let’s not wait for the next incident to appreciate what these men and women do every day, providing an invaluable service.
Make sure you let them know that. Every day. Not just on a sad day like yesterday.
They are our heroes. We can’t tell them that enough.
He simply did what he and his band of dedicated brothers always do. He answered the call.
It wasn’t the first time. No one thought it would be the last. That is the daunting danger volunteer firefighters face every time they answer the bell.
We spent much of yesterday talking about Picozzi, who was killed in a fire in an Upper Chichester home. That’s part of the problem.
Too often we take Picozzi and the other dedicated volunteers that man all those fire houses that dot the Delaware County landscape for granted.
We are comfortable tucked away in our little suburban cocoons knowing that someone like Picozzi will answer the call when that bell sounds.
As we roll over in our beds, they simply roll.
That’s what they did again yesterday, responding to an urgent plea, a house on fire in their town.
Most of these dedicated men and women perform their invaluable service in anonymity.
Until something goes wrong. As it did yesterday.
And as it did back in August, when six firefighters were injured battling a blaze inside a Parkside townhouse. Or a month later in Sharon Hill, when volunteer Michael Reagan lost his life battling a garage fire. Five other firefighters suffered injuries that day.
In a span of seven months, that’s three serious incidents involving volunteer firefighters.
The loss is tragic. Towns, families and the volunteers now will use their unique bond to once again come together and mourn one of their own.
We will join them in mourning.
But we should all to something else as well. Let’s not wait for the next incident to appreciate what these men and women do every day, providing an invaluable service.
Make sure you let them know that. Every day. Not just on a sad day like yesterday.
They are our heroes. We can’t tell them that enough.
Comments
Rest Easy Brother Nick.