I have no ambition in this world but one...

This week has been National Fire Prevention Week, observed on the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. On the Sunday that begins Fire Prevention Week, the National Fallen Firefighter's Foundation holds a solemn ceremony honoring the lives of firefighters who died in the previous year while on duty.

Tonight I was doing a little digging around the web, and ran across this old quote that was given to me a long time ago, that I have framed somewhere around here....and I just wanted to share it with you. Read it, and go thank your firefighters. If you live in a town with a full-time fire department, why not cook a small lunch meal for the guys one weekend and take by the nearest station.

“I have no ambition in this world but one, and that is to be a fireman. The position may, in the eyes of some, appear to be a lowly one; but we who know the work which the fireman has to do believe that his is a noble calling. There is an adage which says that, "Nothing can be destroyed except by fire." We strive to preserve from destruction the wealth of the world which is the product of the industry of men, necessary for the comfort of both the rich and the poor. We are defenders from fires of the art which has beautified the world, the product of the genius of men and the means of refinement of mankind. But, above all; our proudest endeavor is to save lives of men-the work of God Himself. Under the impulse of such thoughts, the nobility of the occupation thrills us and stimulates us to deeds of daring, even at the supreme sacrifice. Such considerations may not strike the average mind, but they are sufficient to fill to the limit our ambition in life and to make us serve the general purpose of human society.”

-- Chief Edward F. Croker FDNY circa 1910