Thank You to All Our First Responders

We see them every day, pass them on the street, in the grocery store, or while grabbing your morning cup of coffee but unless they are in uniform you have no idea who they are or what they do every day to keep you safe and secure. Who am I talking about? Well, first responders of course!

A first responder is another way of saying someone who works in emergency service. No, not a nurse or doctor in the ER. A first responder is the first people to arrive and assist at an accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack. People we never think to say thank you to, our firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

It’s obvious to me why they are so important to the safety of the people they are there to protect and serve. Let’s go back to a day the United States of America should never forget, September 11, 2001, when the police and firefighters led evacuations from the World Trade Center putting everyone else’s safety above their own. They identified the threat then ran into the buildings and helped approximately 15,000 people escape safely. They treat injured parties on the scene and save lives. That’s their job, what they signed up for and we, the public, give them little to no thanks. We just expect it from them because that’s what they signed up for.

In the United States alone there are over 1 million firefighters and out of that approximately 750,000 of them are volunteers. Which means they do this on the side, they have a day job to pay their bills but they volunteer to serve and protect and to keep us safe.

As for police officers there are approximately 556,000 full-time employees of local police departments which would include about 436,000 sworn enforcement personnel. Sheriff’s departments have about 291,000 full-time employees and that would include about 186,000 sworn enforcement personnel. Some police departments use civilians as dispatch or in other positions that do not require a sworn law enforcement officer to do the job.

As for emergency medical technicians or EMT’s there are over 155,000 nationally registered in the United States alone. They are there to give emergency medical care and see to it you are taken care of until they are able to transport you safely to the hospital and into the care of a doctor.

When and EMT responds to an accident it is their responsibility to access the patient’s condition and be competent in delivering basic first aid. They are trained in how to remove a patient carefully and getting them ready for transportation.

When a police officer arrives at a crime scene it is their responsibility to protect, preserve, and in some cases, collect evidence. They never know what they are walking into. A police officer could get called to a domestic dispute and in the process of trying to help out the family something goes wrong and they are forced with a confrontation which leads someone either getting arrested or worse. Now in today’s wonderful society these men and women who put on that uniform every day to serve and protect are judged in the media and by public opinion even though they were thousands of miles away and have no idea what led up to the outcome of the incident. Still they do their job and secure the scene, see to it all are safe and cared for, and put up with public scrutiny. Another very thankless job.

People see firefighters, EMT’s and police officers every day in uniform as well as out. In uniform obviously you know who they are, what type of job they are doing, by the uniform they have on. Tell me, what do you do when you see them? Do you take a moment to stop and say thank you? If you are with your children do you stop and take that opportunity to teach them how important their jobs are? Perhaps you let them take a few seconds to say thank you for your service. If not, that is what you should be doing.

I am proud of the police officers, firefighters, and EMTs in my family by blood and extended family. They are men and women who take their job seriously and for many, in doing so lose out on time spent with those they love in order to serve and protect us because of the time they spend at work every day fulfilling the oath they took. Amazing men and women who don’t question why they are doing this job they just know it is something they have to do. I always say it’s in their blood because these are not jobs you can do just to be able to collect a paycheck. It’s not a job to be taken lightly.

In today’s society our first responders have come under fire. They are attacked while answering a call for help making it even harder to do their job. Still the public seem to think they are there to do them harm. They throw things at them, curse at them, shoot at them, and then the moment something goes wrong and they need their help they scream for them, typical!

I wonder how many of us think of some way to say thank you to them besides the usual going up and shaking their hand and thanking them for their service. Yes, I know, they get paid to do their job. Well most of them do, don’t forget about the volunteer firefighters out there and EMTs that are just giving of their time without the benefit of a pay.

A great way to get to know your local first responders is to make them a dinner and drop it off at headquarters just to say thank you. Not into cooking? Well then maybe you bake a lot so I am sure they would appreciate a nice plate of cookies or cake or anything you feel up to making for them and stopping by to say nice job and thank you for all you do.

If cooking and baking aren’t your favorite things to do then why not just send a thank you not to the Captain or Chief letting them know what a great job their department is doing. I am sure they would love to hear some positive feedback since so many love to bash them instead of appreciate them. These men and women put their lives on the line every day so taking a moment to say thank you isn’t going to hurt. Even if you never need their services you should still consider the person who is on duty to serve and protect you and your community while you are awake and especially while you sleep.

Think about how unsettling it would be to put your head on the pillow at night knowing there are no police or firefighters on duty if you were to need them in case of an emergency. I know I wouldn’t be able to rest. I learned a long time ago just how important they are in our everyday lives.

Instead of parents teaching their children not to talk to the police perhaps it’s time to go back to the old days and teach them if they need help the first person they look for is a police officer or fireman. To go to them and let them know they are in trouble and need help. Stop teaching them to run from and teach them to run to so they can get the help they need and know the police, firemen, and EMTs are there to serve and protect them not do them harm.

So the next time you see a person in uniform, a first responder, or even military personnel, take a moment to say thank you. If you are with you children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, anyone at all, then set a good example and show them there is nothing to be afraid of. Trust me when I tell you our men and women in uniform, would appreciate it a lot more than someone who looks down their nose at them.

Children learn from watching us, the way we react, the way we treat people, the way we talk to and about people. Why not teach them to see things in a better light and start bringing a more positive influence into these young lives. You know, teach by example, say please, and thank you and don’t forget to show your appreciation to those who deserve it and don’t ask for it.

I for one always take the time to thank our first responders and our military. I am proud of all those who give of their time to serve and protect us. I appreciate their kindness and their dedication. Yes there are those who can have an attitude but then again we all have bad days and we don’t have to deal with what they have to put up with on a daily basis. There is no doubt about it, to be a first responder, takes a special type of personality and we have to admit it is not something just anyone can do. Thank you to all our first responders for your amazing work and dedication.

May God Bless America and watch over all our first responders.