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| CRONKITE NEWS SERVICE / CONNOR RADNOVICH / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
Phillip Maldonado, a squad leader with the Granite Mountain Hotshots, helping crew member learn the finer points of setting up emergency fire shelters at an undisclosed location in Arizona in April 2012
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No picnic for Hotshot firefighters… Quote from this website…
“The 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix Sunday were members of an elite group known as Hotshots, so named because they are deployed into the hottest and often most dangerous parts of the fire. The Granite Mountain Hotshots from Prescott, Ariz., which lost all but one of its 20 members in the still-raging blaze, are one of more than 100 Inter-agency Hotshot crews across the country. It’s a job that demands incredible fitness, teamwork and bravery.”
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When there are no wars to fight we still have tens of thousands of 1st responders who protect us each and every day in communities everywhere… When 1st responders are injured or killed while on duty, it strikes at the heart of a local community instantly, and affects all Americans deeply. Many of our 1st responders come home to life after war thousands of miles from home and become 1st responders, and so continue to serve America. The lives of 1st responders are at risk somewhere in America each and every day… As Americans the ultimate protection of the Homeland depends on 1st responders. Just like we acknowledge veterans when they come home to life after war, we should remember to thank our neighbors, friends, and loved ones who work each day to protect us 24/7 right here at home…as our own 1st responders… On this day, we are saddened for the families and loved ones of the Granite Mountain Hotshots from Prescott, Arizona…who lost their lives battling the fires near their community… We mourn each of them and celebrate their lives… Now we help their families and loved ones heal from this traumatic event in their own lives…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story click to order…
