Fire Chief, Barry Carr
The Mission Is One of Changing Hearts & Minds
There are many of us, in the fire service who have a heightened sense of awareness and completely understand our origins as firefighters. We follow the greatest firefighter that ever walked the earth. Jesus Christ, the Son of almighty God.
Jesus is the One who has captured our hearts and minds. Together we celebrate the gift of the Son that has been given. Some of us praise and share him openly to a world that is still hurting today through daily actions very seldom seen.
In ancient times there were knights who lived, breathed, and walked the streets of the holy city of Jerusalem in the service of helping others.
These knights called “Hospitallers” in which the name of hospital is derived from, were protectors and watchers who were set upon the walls to aid and to protect the citizens. These knights, and the spirits of them are still alive today.
You can see their symbol, the cross and evidence of the continuation of their work. We’ve traded in our horses, for mighty steel beasts and the sounds of our war cries have been overtaken by the wail of sirens heard throughout the cities of the world.
Our mission of the cross remains steadfast and true contained within its eight points of this symbol; Loyalty, Reverence for God, Generosity & Helpfulness, Glory & Honor, Contempt for death, Respect for the Church, Bravery, and lastly Courage. Our motto still is “Others before self, so that others may live.”
In the blackness of the ancient nights of long ago, giant war machines built by men hurled flaming jars of naptha into the night time sky of that holy city of Jerusalem .
Many of the knights of Saint John and the Knights Templar perished in the flames. Many more brothers who remained alive, attempted to console and aid the burned reddened bodies of their fallen brothers by tending to their wounds, giving them water, offering up prayers, whispering hope of the eternal. Many more of these knights died where they stood, and many more were piled together into mounds of death and of blackened metal.
The imprint of those days past, still resound in the hearts and minds of us who still serve today. Although not seen the tattoos which are seared into our hands read “Mercy” and the other reads “Grace” both are constantly working doing good in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The cross upon which He gave His all for us today covers our hearts in the forms of various badges and patches on our uniforms. Our minds are still captured in remaining loyal to Him, and His words are still echoing from the One who showed us the greatest of all loves…….
John 15:13 ”Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
