By Battalion Chief (Ret.) Don Miner
I hear other retirees say YOU HAD A GOOD RUN, YOU LEFT THE DEPARTMENT BETTER THEN WHEN YOU CAME ON, MOVE ON AND ENJOY THE NEXT CHAPTER IN YOUR LIFE. All sensible advice. But the desire and passion to still be on the job and involved, although unrealistic, is persistent. Learning to “let go” is the challenge. I suppose “acceptance” is the answer, albeit no easy task!
Many of us spent over half our adult lives in the fire service and it is the fabric of who we are. I would venture to say for some of us that retirement is as emotionally difficult and depleting as still working. The memories are all still vivid and distinct, even though some of those vivid memories we would rather erase. We experienced and “survived”, both physically and emotionally, countless calls and situations together. We tend to forget the endless wakeups but remember fondly going for coffee at 5:30 am on the way back to the station. Trying to forget the horrific calls but grateful to have been with your crew for support. Soggy and sweaty but embracing reloading hose with your “brothers” after a fire at 3:30 am. Driving home tired after a long and difficult shift with a sense of satisfaction that I did the best you could. Saving some photo albums from a house fire and handing them to the homeowner. Nobody picks this career for recognition, awards or praise. The risks and rewards are inherent!
For those of us who were fortunate to have made a career in the fire service you know that being a Firefighter is far more than just the actual job itself. Station life is 70%-80% of the job and that is what most of us miss when we walk out of the station for the last time. Fixing all the dept and world problems at the coffee table, shift lunches and dinners, shift change banter, off duty events cannot even remotely be replicated in any other manner. I never met a retiree who didn’t express that this is what they miss the most. The “Brotherhood” and “Sisterhood” in the fire service is a real thing, not just a catch phrase. No other words truly define the deepest of friendships and the “fire family” that we will ALWAYS be a part of!
To the active-duty firefighters, embrace the retirees who helped build a solid path for you. Never forget or take for granted the amazing career you have chosen and how lucky you are to have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life every day. To the retirees, don’t shy away from going by the station and having a cup of coffee simply because there a so many new and unfamiliar faces. You earned that cup of coffee and place at the table! Whether you wore the badge 50 years ago or one year ago, you are forever engrained and cemented in the history of your department. Celebrate it!
