We Can't Just Call 911. Huh?

The reasons are endless and the need will go on forever. The need for help in a dire situation. The need for someone to come to rescue whether it be medical, violence, a car accident, or a fire. There are people who respond to these calls every single day, it is their job, and their passion. 

When we call 911 we get a dispatch office who we tell our emergency to, they put it in their computer and whatever you need whether it be police, ambulance or fire department, they are sent to you. Yes there are logistics, and protocols and laws, but the basic gist of it is, you dial those three simple numbers and help is on it's way.

So when I logged on to facebook this afternoon and had been tagged in a post about a fire in Arizona and read, "Understand that we can't jus call 911 and expect someone else to save our homes" I was quite aggravated. This statement made me so angry. We can call 911 and expect help from the firefighters that serve our area. That is what they do, they protect us, they help us in our weakest moments. That is what they went to school for and what they train for. They along with EMTs, Paramedics and Police Officers are who respond to these emergency calls. 

The person who said we can't just call 911 said we need to have fire plans and observe no burn rules when the climate is too hot and dry. I do agree with that, we need fire plans, we need to understand how to stay safe but fire is something we have no control over as the general public. We can't stop it, we don't have the equipment to control it, so what are we suppose to do? Sit back and watch it blaze through our backyards and destroy our homes and possibly take the lives of those we love or even ourselves? Not in my opinion. 

Firefighters are a rare group of people. They are willing to run into a burning building to save a person, they are willing to stay away from their families for long periods of time while fighting some fires. In all honesty, it's what they live for, to fight fire. When I was on my fire department clinical in EMT school the guys were al talking about how it had been a long time since their last big burn and that some of their best day son the job were the days when they did exactly what they were trained to do. Fight fire, save lives and make sure ever crew member survived the process as well.

So can we just call 911 when a sever fire begins to threaten our homes and lives? Yes, we can and luckily we know that crews will show up prepared and ready for whatever this fire has in store. They show up with the intention to stop it, before irreversible damage is done.