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February 26, 2002 - A Firefighter's Story
Welcome to 2TheHeart!
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." ~Albert Schweitzer
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I am so pleased to share another perspective of Charles, a retired NY firefighter who has shared with us previously a peek inside the life of a firefighter. Look for a more humorous side to it in the April 5th edition of 2theheart's Funny Friday!
"A Firefighter's Story" Part IV
by Charles Farrell
Interchange...
In the seventies, Interchange simply meant that a company in an area of the city that was not busy would swap with a company that was in a busy area for the duration of a fifteen-hour night tour. In one night of an interchange your night took on a transformation. The Ladder Company would pull out of the Queens firehouse at six-thirty PM and proceed to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.
Once off the expressway you looked out the window to find the green lawns had transformed into cement. The white faces into brown faces, the spacious single family homes into crowded tenements. Garbage pails overflowing into the dirty streets. Whenever we came close to the firehouse at Sheffield and Livonia streets we would receive a call over the radio to respond to an alarm. This went on all night, responding to working fires and false alarms.
Three o'clock in the morning, a hot humid night, the streets crowded with people sitting outside to escape the heat in their oven-like flats. A little naked baby playing in the street. Children running in and out of the water spray coming from the pen hydrant. I remember thinking about my two young daughters, home in their comfortable air-condition bedrooms. How unaware they are of this world outside of their own.
Six-thirty in the morning we headed back to Queens exhausted from a busy night. We were going home to a place where life's problems were more easily tolerated. Unlike our children we were well aware the other world still existed. "Take a moment of silent prayer" for the poor people of the world.
NYC Fire Department Holy Name Society...
The following contains excerpts of a speech given by my brother, New York City Fire Department Assistant Chief, at a Holy Name Society Communion Breakfast in 1985:
"On March 18th of this year my father passed away. He was a former member of our Department and had been retired for 19 years. He retired in 1966 shortly after I was promoted to Captain. He told everyone that he had his papers in because he didn't want me to be his boss. (He was a Lieutenant.) The truth was that he worked right up to the day he was 65 years old-his last day on the job was his 65th birthday. In the following years when we met and talked, the conversation generally covered two topics-the Family and the Fire Department."
"Since my brother was also on the job, and in recent years my two sons, you can readily see where the two subjects often merged. If this sounds like our talks were confused-they weren't. I believe this was due to my father's feelings about the department. He considered it part of his life and part of his family even in retirement. If I may, I like to speak to you today about Family. It seems particularly appropriate here this morning. In a sense there are three families gathered here in this hall. We have our wives and children, perhaps parents or other relatives. We have our Department family, company members. And we have the Christian Family since we are all children of Christ.
To some, the lines between these families may seem clear and distinct without relationship. I'd like to think they share some common elements. First and foremost there's Love - I think this is the difference between a true family and a group of people who are simply related. Over the years the men I most admired in our Department were those men who truly loved our job and the people in it-men like my good friend and coworker who recently passed away, this after 42 years of service and regrettably a very short retirement. I never heard him talk about love but I saw him live it daily in all his actions."
"Love is also the bedrock of our Church and the Commandments-Love your God-Love your neighbor. The next common element is Pride. We're proud of our families and if you don't think so, you never sat next to a mother or grandmother with a wallet full of pictures. My wife is sitting out there just waiting for someone to ask about our granddaughters. If inordinate pride is a sin, than firefighters are dangerously close to mortal sin. I can think of no job where people are prouder-or have a right to be."
"Last but not least there is Commitment. The day we were born. The day we were married. The day we had children, we made a commitment to our family. The day we raised our hands and took the oath at the appointment ceremony. We made a commitment to the Department and the people of the City. Similarly our Baptism committed us to God. We are here today as a sign of that commitment. In closing I can only add that I feel very fortunate to have been part of these families and to have shared so many years with each of them."
Having read that speech, you know why I'm so proud of my brother.
The Right Decisions...
My father started a family tradition without knowing. My brother followed, than me, now third generation Firemen with my brother's two sons being on the job. In retrospect it was the second best thing that I did in my lifetime.
The best thing was when I met and married my Rose. How was I to know at 20 years of age that I was going to have the privilege to be part of the three Families my brother referred to in his speech at the Holy Name Society?
Charles Farrell
Child of God,
Husband of Rose Farrell
Father of Karen Tunney and Debra Geiger
Grandfather of Matthew, Ryan and Alyssa Tunney,
Elizabeth, Peter and Jack Geiger
Last but not least a former member of the NY City Fire Department
Charles Farrell copyright 1999
cfroe56@aol.com
I wrote this story in 1999, before the cowardly act of 911. Recently my neighbor said she was watching TV Newsreels of the brave firefighters going into the Twin Towers. She said she asked her husband, "Why are they going into the Towers?" Her husband replied, "That's their job". In my opinion my brothers at 1985 NYFD Communion Breakfast talk eloquently answered why they went into the Towers. God Bless Firefighters everywhere.
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The Letter Box:
2TheHeart,
Re: My Angel by Carole Williams
Absolutely wonderful story!!! I loved the reference to "In the arms of an angel". I've already let my family know that I want that song played at my funeral. It is such a peace giving song. Carole-you
have showed us just what an angel Dink really is. Thank you for a lovely story.
~Marsha Jakubiak
lucky73199@hotmail.com
2theheart,
In so many ways, today's story is similar to my own life. I also have an angel who is older than me, is a nurse, and raised her son by herself, only to marry in her mid-40's. However, I am blessed to have my angel still with me. I can still call her, whether to ask advice or to cry on her shoulder. I can still walk with her down the beach, not talking, just watching the ocean tide come in. I am blessed to have my angel with me. But, Carole, you are even more blessed. Your angel is in that most precious of places - she is in Heaven with our Gracious Lord. I will always remember Dink when I hear that song again. God bless you, Carole, and Susan and all of the 2TheHeart family.
~Lucy
lucywenta@aol.com
Dear Carole,
I just cried when I read your story. I had read the previous stories by Alan Coleman and wish I could have known Debra. Her time on earth ended a bit early, but only because she served it well. Thank you for your beautiful story about your sister.
~Dorene Hale
Dear 2theheart,
It seems as though Dink Coleman (Debra) is one of those people who came into many people's lives and left footprints on their hearts. I have been very touched by all the stories of her courage and her life.
~Mark
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