What re-energizes you?

What re-energizes you?

I would bet that you don’t get asked that question too often. But think about it. We all have different things that will recharge our soul and put us back on track. If you are a hard charger, you know what I mean. It could be a song. Maybe you’re a runner. Maybe it’s family. For me it’s being surrounded by firefighters who have passion for the craft.  The ones who sit in front of class and ask questions, engage the instructor, are first to grab the hose and try something new, not afraid to fail, and, are starving to learn and improve.  For the last few days, I have been surrounded by these individuals. 

Having just gotten home from fire school, my wife will now be subjected to nonstop stories of the great time I had. It’s ok, for whatever reason, she tolerates me and maybe even understands me. She will always ask me “what was the best part of your trip?” This time I can’t give one instance because there were many. One is the new firefighter that had never attended to any training and was in the water movement class. I reminded him how lucky he was to be exposed to some of the best instructors in the country in his first class. Then there was the young firefighter I spoke to at breakfast this morning. He took the SCBA Confidence and the Truckless Truckie classes.  He said he was “tired and bruised” and all the while we talked, he was smiling from ear to ear.  

I was also fortunate to sit in on the Stone Face FOOLS class which was filled with passionate students and instructors. Listening to the students, I was reassured that the state is in good hands with the next generation of firefighters.

So now it is time to decompress and move on to some things at home. Thanks everyone who participated in the 2023 South Dakota State Fire School. Thanks for the hospitality from everyone in Watertown and the students who showed the passion for the craft. You may not realize it, but you re-energized this salty old dog.