A Hero to Me

Hero n. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life

There are very few people I would idolise or even deem worthy of the title Hero.  I would not be one to attach it to people in history that I have never met and I would certainly not be one to attach it to celebrities and the like.  To me the heroes in my life are the people I know who do great things, people who I admire and look up to.

There is one person in particular to me who is a Hero, we went to school together and in that time I never heard him say a bad word against anyone.  He has never wronged me and he is quite selfless.  Sometimes I think he worries about others too much but the paradox there is that he has always been there for me when I needed him and if he didn't care for others the way he did he might not have been.  I have strived to be there for him when he needed me and provide the help and support he asks for.  He is one of my closest friends and I think he knows I would do anything for him.

Beyond my selfish little world there are many things he has done that in my eyes warrant the title of Hero.  The first and foremost however and the reason for this post is his choice of career.  In my regards the title of Hero I think extends beyond him to every man and woman who follows his career path.  He is a fireman.

He knew from a young age what career he would eventually want to pursue, and while many of us probably dreamt of the idea of being a fireman among other things, with most people the novelty wears off with age.  It takes a special kind of someone who is willing to devote their lives to this job.  They don't do it for the glory and they don't set out to be heroes, most firemen you will meet are quite humble in their work.  The thing to me that makes them heroes is the fact that in their jobs they could die, they know this, it is a very real risk, yet they put that aside and set out to save lives.  No-one wants to die, but to be prepared to put your life on the line, even sacrifice that life so that others may live is the most noble thing I believe anyone can do. 

He is a hero to me.  As is everyone who follows his profession.  I would also regard Ambulance drivers and Paramedics as heroes too but I will devote a separate post to that in time.