Mele’s Musings: Discipline, Sense Of Duty Makes Me Appreciate Firefighters

Maybe it is a case of “boys and their toys,” or some kind of wish fulfillment, but I have been a fire buff every since I was a kid. (To clarify: Being a fire buff does not mean being a pyromaniac or arsonist. It generally describes people who support or admire firefighters and firefighting.) I recall from a very young age seeing two “working fires” in my neighborhood in which firefighters attacked blazes in the upper stories of apartment buildings. The bravery and precision with which they sized up the situation and ran toward a scene that others were fleeing left a lasting impression on me. As a kid, I would race down the stairs from our third-floor apartment at the sound of approaching fire trucks.