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Thursday, September 28, 2006

Brotherhood

Sometimes I am humbled by my brothers and sisters. As the days go by, more and more blood sweat and tears of the Brotherhood are shown through actions that you might see, but more often than not are behind the scenes. Case and point, tonight 4 stations baked desserts for the Blue Mass. These guys weren't able to attend, but they helped out. For that I am truly indebted. I am sorry I cannot thank everyone in person, but take this thanks for what it is worth. The event was great, I only wish more firefighters were present. I will have more tomorrow on the event.

That is only one example. Like I said, everyday I see more and more.

Some people think that at times I am negative on the blog. At times I am, but I do not want you to think that it is my purpose to be overly negative. I say what I feel, I mean what I say. Sometimes my words are misunderstood. I want to set the record straight.

The reason for this blog is for one thing. I want to report on us, the Roanoke Firefighters for whoever wants to listen. I want people to know who we are, what we do, what we are about, and why we do what we do. I want people to know about my brothers and sisters the Roanoke Firefighters (nobody excluded).

I want to tackle all the issues. If everything was peachy, that would be great. But let us be real.

Since its inception, RoanokeFire.com has seen a lot of changes. I have reported on the good and bad, the ups and downs, the unique and the ordinary. I have been able to uncover history that might have gone unnoticed, stories that might not have been read, firefighters who might not have gotten a notice.

I do this for my brothers and sisters. Luckily I do not have to do this alone. I get phone calls, emails, and have conversations from my coworkers. I can't do this alone, and I do not want you to think that I do it alone. My support structure is large. I have guys who keep me informed of the good and bad.

For this I am humbled. I enjoy walking into a firehouse and seeing guys looking at this site. I enjoy hearing from Roanoke Firefighters who say they enjoy the site and look at it daily. I enjoy the words of encouragement, although I do not expect it. It should be me thanking you guys. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have anything to write about.

There are readers in other Cities, States, and even other Countries who enjoy reading about my brothers and sisters. I hear from guys who used to work here, used to live here, and know many of you who are your fans. I hear from citizens, officials, and leaders who enjoy reading about their Firefighters. They like knowing about your ups and downs, your accomplishments, and your stories.

Honestly, I do not think you know of the readership of this site. It is amazing how people end up right here. Google and Yahoo are good friends of ours.

What now? We will keep going. Keep sending in your stories, pictures, and questions. I will do my best to post about them.

A comment on the comments. I have enjoyed the comments from you all. In case you were wondering, I rarely have to moderate the comments on the blog. I enjoy any and all comments. Just as I provide you with my opinion in my posts, you are entitled to your opinion. In case you are wondering, if I post a comment it will always be from me indicated by my username "FireFleitz". It should also be noted that I, nor anyone else, can find out who you are if you comment as "anonymous". This is perfectly acceptable and I recommend using this feature. If I ever thought that I could keep this whole blog anonymous I would have done it, therefore there wouldn't be any question as to any "treatment" by exercising my rights to freedom of speech. Since this would have been impossible, I understand that my words might be inflammatory at times. However, you should know that I try to keep all posts as professional as I know how.

In case anyone is wondering, I still feel we work for the best Fire Department in the State. We may not be perfect, but none are.

Thanks for letting me do my part.

I guess I have veered from the original point of this post. Sometimes my best posts are ramblings where I just start typing and end up wherever my tiny little mind takes me.

I hope that I do my brothers and sisters justice.

God Bless,

FireFleitz out

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