My Neighbor, My Hero

It’s a typical Friday morning at work and our bells go off. “Respond to an unknown medical alert” our friendly dispatcher squaks over the radio. We roll our eye because as the address comes across the radio we know what is in store for us.

This is Mrs. Oldfolk’s house. She is about 900 years old and does water aerobics every Friday morning. Inevitably one of her 19 cats trips her medical alarm and she is not there to reset it – so our response is in motion.

As the convoy of emergency vehicles approaches her home, a new neighbor who happens to be a firefighter emerges from his garage. We get out and approach her house in less than a hurry. We know that by her back door under the yellow flower pot is a house key. As one of our guys was walking around the house to get the key – the helpful neighbor approached quickly.

Panicked he asks if everything is okay and if we need his help. Maybe he didn’t notice the 5 professionals on scene obviously not overly concerned with the situation, or maybe he thought we are a bunch of uncaring sloths or that its everyone’s first day on the job, regardless we politely thank him for his offer and reassure him that the situation is being handled.

This answer didn’t satisfy the helpful neighbor and we’re not moving fast enough for his liking. He shouts at us that we are not “making entry” fast enough and starts throwing himself against Mrs. Oldfolk’s glass inlaid front door. What he doesn’t realize is that our guy has already gone through the back door and is on his way to let us all in the front door.

Despite our attempts to stop him the helpful neighbor breaks all the glass out of Mrs. Oldfolk’s really expensive looking front door, reaches in, unlocks and opens it – only to be met by our guy on the other side.

It made my day to pick up fluffy #12, scold her for setting off the alarm, reset the alarm, and see the hero of a neighbor standing dumbfounded amongst the broken glass. Hopefully his Department pays him well because I think he owes Mrs. Oldfolk a new door.

That sums up my opinion of the over worshiped firefighter. Most of them mean well and are strong, but when it comes to smarts, well, they mean well and are strong.