A Fire Family
Music sings and plays what the soul yearns for.
No words are necessary.
Being a part of a fire service means a lot of different things to different people. There are the “adrenaline junkies,” who love to hear the bells hit, the sirens scream and watch the lights start flashing.
There are the “probies,” new to the job or department, who are excited to be a part of the fire service, but as of yet, do not have a great deal of knowledge.
There are those with their five to ten year careers, who are used to the calls and the firehouse routines.
And finally, there are the veterans, with anywhere from ten to thirty years of service. Yet no matter which of these levels you find yourself in, there is no denying that the firehouse is collectively one big family.
A firefighter community extends far beyond the firefighters themselves.
Sometimes we call them the fire family.
In Colorado Springs, we gather to celebrate the lives of those no longer here on earth. The fallen firefighters memorial service is on the third weekend of September annually.
Located in the shadow of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, the Memorial honors the sacrifice made by international Association of firefighters (IAFF) members who have given their lives in the line of duty.
Gathering at Memorial Park, thousands of family members and firefighters from all over the country and Canada, play their pipes and drums, listen to one another, and share a common pride and oftentimes, a common story.
In 2009, the Honor Guard branched out and formed Unified Fire Authority’s Pipes and Drums. Pipes and Drums consist of a group of firefighters that specialize in traditional Scottish bagpipe music. The tradition of bagpipes played at fire department and police department funerals in the United States goes back over 150 years. Also in 2009, we began sending members of the Honor Guard and Pipes and Drums to national events. Members have attended the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland as well as the IAFF Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado. These memorials are an opportunity for firefighters from across the nation and Canada to pay their respects to firefighters that have died in service.
Among all of the communities gathered for this three day celebration, it’s important to know that there is a levity blended in with solemnity.
Among all of the communities gathered for this three day celebration, it’s important to know that there is a levity blended in with solemnity.
There is a gathering on Tejon Street. Within the cowboy bar, earplugs may need to be worn from the tremendous pounding of each drumbeat that echoes our collective heartbeat. What stands out is the one drum, along with the tenor drum with its fast kick-drum playing, and the piping, all of which feeds the soul.
There is much to celebrate when you think about the life of a firefighter and our fire family.
To celebrate with our community, we see beyond rank and file, and beyond the colorful plaid depicting each state and local affiliation.
The bass drums beat our hearts in Union.
The tenor drums and their rapid beat demonstrates our high paced livelihood.
And the bagpipes’ songs sing our names.
People who are unfamiliar with the celebration stop to watch and listen. They find themselves mesmerized and muted.
Music sings and plays what the soul yearns for. No words are necessary.
I spoke to a man who was riding his bike and witnessed the formal and informal celebrations. He was elderly and fit, and wanted to know more. He caught himself speaking, and then suddenly, not able to, the lump in his throat grew. He wanted to experience more music to understand why we gather together each and every year.
I welcomed him to Tejon Street later that evening.. He showed up and gave me a wink, and then we all continued to crowd together with lights and sirens and bagpipes and drums in harmony and disharmony, and yet, the ever-present bass drums continued to beat our hearts in unison.
