The firefighters, the EMTs, the law enforcement officers, all of those who protect the citizens of our communities, never know when, or if, they might be called upon to assist a friend or relative. It's in the back of their minds every time they are beckoned, but usually it doesn't happen. It may be a car accident, a fire, a rescue call or who knows what, but it can and does happen, especially in a small community. It always leaves you with an empty, sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. It leaves you with sadness. It leaves you wondering, "What if that had been my son or daughter?"

Our fire department has rehearsals (practices) on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The plan for our rehearsal last Thursday was to tour two buildings in order to familiarize the firefighters with the construction and layout that was used in each. The first building we toured was a wood frame condominium that is currently under construction along the Milwaukee River. The other building is a stone mill, also on the Milwaukee River, that was constructed over 100 years ago, and at this time, houses several businesses.

Roll call was at 7:00 pm, and after a few announcements we headed to the condo. The walk through/walk around at the condo lasted until about 7:45. We then walked about a block to the mill and started the tour there. Sometime between 8:15 and 8:30, our pagers sounded and we were alerted of a fire situation at a specific intersection. The intersection didn't register with me until we arrived on scene. The fire was in a building that is owned by, and houses the business of, a good friend of mine. During the attack, I discovered that one of my friend's sons had been burned. I called my friend via cell phone and he told me that he and his wife were in route to the hospital. Shortly thereafter, the fire was extinguished and it was time to return to the station.

Before we could leave the scene of the fire, however, our pagers sounded once again. This time there was a wire arcing and sparking on a pole out in the township. We arrived on scene and sure enough, just as reported, there was arcing and sparking on a pole. There was nothing we could do except wait andwatch until the power company arrived to fix the problem. After about two hours, we finally returned to the station.

I left the station at about midnight, and as I drove past my friend's business, I saw him standing on the corner with a woman that was filling out a report. He was also talking on his cell phone to his wife, who had remained at the hospital when he left. He handed the phone to me, and I talked with his wife while he finished his business with the report. His wife told me that their son has second degree burns on his arms and legs with the possibility of some third degree burns. Luckily, his face was not burned nor did he inhale any flames. He is going to have a long stay in the hospital and not be able to work for some months. Needless to say, he is in our thoughts and prayers.

You never know.....do you?