Answering the Call

By David Wisher

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 David Wisher
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-3446-6

Contents

Chapter 1 Spiritual Firefighter.....................1Chapter 2 Putting on the Armor......................25Chapter 3 Command and Control.......................39Chapter 4 Tactics...................................45Chapter 5 Tools.....................................71Chapter 6 The Buddy System..........................81Chapter 7 Critique..................................89Chapter 8 Retirement................................99Chapter 9 Family....................................103Chapter 10 Conclusion...............................127Appendix 1..........................................131Appendix 2..........................................132Appendix 3..........................................133Appendix 4..........................................134

Chapter One

Spiritual Firefighter

Jude 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them.

It was early October, time for our annual Fire Prevention Week. We have several different demonstrations set up and run hundreds of children through to teach them fire safety. I was leading a group of 3-4 year olds from one presentation station to another. A four year old boy was walking beside me with his father, he kept looking up at me with his big brown eyes and his dad told me "my son loves this 'fire stuff'." We walked a little bit further and the little guy looked up again and said, "I love this stuff ... he paused.... and he said I love you too." His comment surprised me but melted by heart. I knelt down and gave him a hug. After that every one of his classmates wanted one of those hugs. It really touched me and made me remember how I should view my career. Firefighters are a special breed and blessed. This is why we do it.

As I thought about the unmerited love of this little boy, it struck me how fortunate we are to have a Savior that loves us, love unmerited but freely given. We run into fires to rescue people and give them a chance at life. Jesus took the cross in our place to give us a chance at eternal life. We are called 'heroes', He was crucified. Keep in mind being a good person is not enough. We will never be 'good enough'. The Bible says, "There are none righteous, not one." It takes actively receiving Christ in your life, this is a personal act; you cannot ride anyone else's coat tails. I have noticed that most verbs in the Bible are action verbs. The Bible also says we have been saved through faith and this is not from ourselves, not by works, so that no one can boast. Grace is a freely given gift from God, we cannot earn it. But James tells us that faith without works is dead. This is work that comes after you have been saved. God has things He wants us to do, we need to get busy.

Many people never take that action, whether it is the act of accepting Jesus or serving Him once they do. It's like a firefighter who is a twenty year rookie. He comes on the job and does nothing to better himself over his career. Every day we should be growing, advancing. If we don't train our skills degrade, the same is true of our faith. There is no holding pattern, we are either moving forward or backward.

Charles Spurgeon said "You will never go to heaven in a crowd. The crowd goes down the broad path," the path of least resistance, or so it seems. Eventually we will have to give account. That broad path is crowded and leads to hell. Make no mistake there is a hell and it is terrible. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away. Hell is undoubtedly full of people who did not actively oppose Jesus, but drifted into damnation by neglecting to respond to the Gospel. All you need to do to go to Hell is nothing.

The Call

As firefighters we are called to service by a dispatch system, the lights go on, tones go off and a dispatcher gives an address and nature of call. This can be any time of the day or night. We are dispatched to an emergency scene where our equipment and training are needed to save life and property. Jesus also gives us a call, a call to salvation; and we need to hear and respond to that call.

On one occasion several years ago, my engine company was dispatched on a possible apartment fire right around the corner from the station. We arrived first and noted lazy gray smoke coming from a first floor apartment. We pulled a line and entered the building, no occupants were visible but we did see that the kitchen cabinets were on fire. The flames were extinguished relatively quickly and a short period of overhaul found that the fire had not extended into the walls. Now that the fire was out, the task of doing a cause and origin investigation fell to me as the first in officer. As I began my investigation it was obvious from the point of origin and the cause of ignition that this was an intentionally set fire. I was informed that the occupant had been found and was outside, I needed to question her. As I approached her I noted a small blond woman possibly in her mid fifties. As I came closer I realized I knew her from previous calls (she was a 'frequent flyer'). One thing I remembered about her was that she never looked up, she never did, and she never said a word. I knew she had an issue with drugs and that she had also set a couple of other small fires in her past residences. I looked at her, head down, shoulders slumped forward, aged well beyond her years, (she was only in her thirties) and I was struck by the fact that here was a woman without hope; she was just the shell of a person struggling through life. I put my hand on her shoulder and said, "Tina you need to get your life together, God is here." For the first time since I had met her she looked up and locked eyes with me. I'll never forget the look in her eyes, it was the look of someone who is drowning and sees a life raft but doesn't know how to get into it. I believe just saying her name and letting her know someone still cared gave her, if only for a while, a sense of worth. I still pray that at least a seed was planted. I never saw her again after that night.

It all starts with our own personal call. In the book of Mark Jesus went out to call his disciples and said, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Do you remember the first time you heard the Gospel and how you responded? Could you feel the Spirit working in you or did your resist? I remember when I was testing for the fire department. I waited expectantly for that phone call telling me I had made it. I'm pretty sure most of us weren't waiting like that for God's call. I remember how happy I was when Urbana Fire called, (we should be even happier when God is on the line.)

I remember when Christ called me. I had been a "good guy" most of my life and thought that was enough. I knew of Jesus but had not pursued a deeper relationship with Him. I didn't know that wasn't enough, the Bible says that even the demons know who Jesus is. There is a difference in knowing "of" and actually "knowing" someone.

Have you been face to face with Christ and accepted Him into your heart? Have you made Him Lord of your life? In our vacation bible school we teach the children their ABC's of becoming a Christian, Admit you are a sinner, repent and turn from your sins, Believe Jesus is God's only son and Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is a very simple but necessary step in your walk with Christ. You can do this now, get on your knees and ask Jesus to forgive you.

I believe there are two kinds of callings in the fire service. One is presented by a need; we needed fire departments because things catch on fire. The other calling is on a more personal level, it touches the very depths of one's soul. Don't get me wrong the paycheck and security of a fire service job are nice, but they do not determine how well you will do that job. A passion for people, especially for those in need, is what separates average firefighters from exceptional ones. We are blessed to be in a profession where we can directly impact someone's life. They can be having the worst day of their lives and we show up. What are you going to do with that? Do you just go about your business, oblivious to the pain and suffering around you? Or do you grab those family pictures off the table and take them outside to save them from the heat and smoke? Do you check on the condition of the wife who has just watched her husband be taken away in an ambulance? It does make a difference.

I remember when God was trying to get my attention. It was after my divorce that I felt like something was missing, well other than my wife. I remember going to a water ball fight with some of the guys from the fire department I was on at the time. While walking around the small festival there I found a picture of Jesus for sale. I'm not sure why but I bought it. I realize now that He was just letting me know He was around. That picture was the only decoration I had at the time on the walls of my home, I was starting from scratch. I was working construction and trying to raise my two young sons. I was getting through the days but I felt empty inside. I began going to my mother's church in Paxton, a quaint little church where I recognized many familiar faces. I began going regularly and I actually enjoyed it. That was until I noticed my name on the church bulletin to help collect the offering at the pews the following Sunday. I have no idea why but the thought of it terrified me. What, me stand up in church? I didn't go to church that next Sunday; I didn't want to do that small thing for God. I really didn't get it.

Several years later I had remarried and was now on the Urbana Fire Department. Urbana fire was a progressive department that covered both the City of Urbana and the University of Illinois, roughly 100,000 people. I relocated my family to Pesotum, Illinois to be closer to work. It was almost a year before God came knocking again; we had not found a church and were not actively looking. One Sunday my wife Heidi informed me that she was going to a small Baptist church a few miles away in Tolono, at the invitation of an old school friend. She went a couple of times without me until one day her friend came to the house and talked to me about coming. I was reluctant but I did go. I enjoyed the new pastor; he was a young man full of fire who preached straight from the Bible. It was refreshing but also very convicting at times. I still was not participating in any church programs; I just came on Sunday so I could get my ticket to heaven punched. I was soon to realize that God had different ideas and He had waited long enough.

I was working at Station 2 as an upgrade Lieutenant one day. We had run the usual calls, completed training and had supper. As I made my bed that night it seemed like any other shift day, I was wrong. I went to bed at around 10'clock, at some point I fell into one of those deep REM sleeps where they say your dreams seem the most real. I felt like I was awake, I was standing in an open area, no walls just space. At first I was alone, and then I noticed a man or at least the black shape of a man walking toward me. He stopped about 10 feet away yet I still couldn't make out any features on him. I knew immediately, once again I'm not sure how, that this form was Satan. I suppose it's like when a baby animal knows to run at the sight of a predator. They just know danger is near. Satan is both a predator and a danger, we just know. I wasn't afraid though. I felt this warm, strong comforting presence next to me; I didn't see anything but I knew this was Jesus, beside me. He was asking me to make a choice; He wanted me off the fence and totally committed to Him. I stood there facing Satan for a while as I took it all in. In my heart I did make that choice for Christ, I took Him into my heart that night, all alone, in an eight by eight room. As soon as I did the black form of Satan turned around and left, no words were spoken. He knew He was beaten and could not stand against our Savior. Jesus has already won that battle for us we just need to bring Him into our lives and claim it.

The next day was Sunday and I couldn't wait to go to Sunday school and tell them my story. As class started I was ready to begin my testimony when my wife's classmate interrupted and said, "Man did I have a weird dream last night." He proceeded to tell "my" story down to the smallest detail. There are times God lets you know He is working in your life, this was one of them for me. This also showed me the common thread that exists between all believers in that my friend and I shared the same experience on the same night. At some point we need to make that decision to completely submit to the will of God, He is waiting. I am glad He is patient. Remember this- Eternal life is not a length of life, it's a quality of life and it starts the second we are born again in Christ. Answer the call.

Service

I know that when people think of the word fire service, they think of putting out fires and dealing with medical emergencies. Many are run of the mill calls. There are, however, other calls that bring about a different kind of service. They are more personal, and require going a little beyond the normal, they require more heart.

One day Rescue 25 was dispatched to a residence for an unresponsive elderly male. Upon arrival his daughter met us at the door and led us to his bedroom. The room and furniture were dated but clean. The elderly gentleman was lying between the bed and the wall. Signs of death were evident. At this point we could have chosen to back off and wait for the paramedics to take over. Instead we chose to take over a support service type of role. We contacted the coroner and then ministered to the man's daughter. At calls like this family members can become secondary patients. Since her father was in his nineties his death was not that unexpected and she was taking it well, she just wanted to talk. She told us how her father had escaped from a concentration camp during World War II and how he had walked across Europe to freedom. One comment she made that I will never forget was that her father took nothing for granted. She said he would walk around in his backyard pointing at the trees and would say, "That is my tree." She told us her father had taken great pleasure in even the most trivial things, he took nothing for granted. We should all take such joy in the simple things. Many people would have tried to forget the sufferings like those her father had gone through during his imprisonment. Her father had taken a different approach; he wanted to remember so that it brought out with great clarity those things in life that were really important. He was not bitter about what had happened, he was grateful for what he had now. You could see it in the pictures on the wall, the well maintained yard and the love shared by his family. I can only imagine the abuse, the malnutrition and fear that this man must have lived through. One thing that it showed me was the inner strength that can be summoned if you care enough about something. For this man I believe it was love for his family. Many prisoners in the same situation gave up, they lost hope. Love can give us hope, but our earthly love pales in comparison to the love God has for us. For many people it is only after having everything taken from them that they appreciate what they have and see things clearly, without distractions. With everything else gone this is when we come face to face with the only thing on this earth or in heaven that will never go away, Jesus Christ. He has told us He will be with us even to the end of the age.

As her father was taken away she thanked us for listening and we cleared the scene. To this day she still makes a point to stop us if she sees us on the street. She said she will always be grateful for the compassion and respect we showed both her and her father that day. It was a few minutes out of our day and meant the world to someone who was hurting. We have those opportunities all the time, don't miss them.

When you became a firefighter you are held to a higher standard; we are allowed to enter and affect people's innermost lives. As firefighters we are in a war against anything that harms people or property. At times we will risk our lives to that end. As Christians we will sometimes be asked to do the same.

We all remember 9/11. We all watched as the towers burned. As New York firefighters responded to the alarm that day, surviving members admitted a sense of apprehension and impending doom at the task ahead. They knew this would be a difficult and dangerous fire. There are accounts of some of the men making cell phone calls to their families on the way to the towers, telling them they loved them one last time. These men knew the gravity of the situation but they had a job to do, a calling, they kept going. In one documentary you can see the concern on their faces as they assemble in the lobby of the Trade Center. The department priest was known for being a calming presence at emergency scenes. That day he was pacing back and forth praying quietly to himself. Something was different this time. He would look from his firefighters to the billowing smoke overhead, fear and concern for his men was written on his face. He himself would be the first name on the list of fire department personnel that died that day, yet his thoughts were for his men.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Answering the Callby David Wisher Copyright © 2011 by David Wisher. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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