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July 15, 2007

A Firefighter Lost

Two years ago this past weekend, a Firefighter lost his life doing what he loved to do. Helping others. Some help by donating cash, or time. Others have a desire to lay down their lives for others, and Todd did that. I just want Todd and everyone else to know that he hasn't been forgotten, so I am re-posting what I posted two years ago...

I didn't know Todd Alan Blanchard, but he was my Brother. If asked to, and if given the chance, I would have saved Todd's life, even though we've never met. Does that sound suprising? It really isn't when you begin to understand the culture of the fire service. Firefighters are a special breed; all we want to do is help. Some do it for various reasons, but underneath it all, all we want to do is help. Since Todd was a young boy, all he wanted to do was be a Firefighter. After a lot of hard work, he got his wish, and became a Firefighter with the Eastern Wake Fire Department. It was Todd doing his job, helping, that ultimately cost him his life.

When you join the fire service, you immediately understand that there are certain inherent risks that you will be taking during the time you spend there. Most of us don't think about those things, because we want to help, and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure that we all go home at the end of the day, or at the end of our tour. We rely on training, on our skils, and on our Brothers and Sisters to accomplish the very important task of returning home to our loved ones. What happened to Tood was the result of a freak accident, and no amount of training, skills or Brotherhoood could change that. On Wednesday July 14th, 2005, Todd and his crew were called out to a large tree on fire, that had been struck by lightning. They extinguished the fire, and went back to the station. Early the next morning, someone called to report that the tree was still on fire. Without question, without hesitation, and knowing that all he wanted to do was help, Todd and his crew returned to the scene, and that's when the accident happened. A large section of the tree, some two and a half feet in diameter, came crashing down on Todd. His Brothers managed to get the tree off him, but it was too late. Todd made the ultimate sacrifice.

On Saturday July 16th, 2005, I was honored to take part in a Memorial Tribute for Relatives and Friends of Todd Blanchard. Now, I didn't do very much, I got dressed in what we call a Class "A" uniform, and rode in a Wake New Hope Volunteer Fire Department firetruck, from Eastern Wake Fire Department to the Edenton Street United Methodist Church, where Todd was a member. Our truck (Engine Two) was part of a procession, that included more than 90 Firefighting, Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services vehicles. But even though I didn't "do very much", I felt that I had to be there, to honor Todd, and let others know that even in death, we don't leave a Brother or Sister alone.

Todd leaves behind two young daughters, a fiancee, and a Fire Service that is forever indebted to him for all of his hard work and dedication. Our lives are better, thanks to Todd, and all of the Brothers and Sisters who risk their lives each and everyday, to make sure that the rest of us can go home safely to our loved ones.

We will miss you Todd.

To visit a memorial page dedicated to Todd Blanchard, click here.

Posted by Jon at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)