Another fireman post!

Did ya'll know that firemen just don't put out fires? They spend there weekends in front of Walmart or standing at a busy intersection collecting money for all different type reasons. Or they volunteer to help people in their time of need, no mater what the situation. Or they go to schools and talk to kids about fire safety.

My brother is one such person. He is an assistant chief at a county fire department in middle Georgia. He and his fireman have spent the last two months, every Saturday standing at busy intersections collecting money for Jerry's kids. They do it every year. This year they collected twelve thousand dollars. Not too shabby for a small out of the way county fire department.

Tim also goes to schools and teaches young people about fire safety. He loves kids, did I mention he was a youth pastor. The first person in my family to graduate college. Not too shabby for a young man who's high school teachers told him, to his face, he would never graduate or amount to anything.

Now for Tim's latest adventure, he volunteered to go to New Orleans last week with about 65 search and rescue people from middle Georgia. Oh yeah, did I mention that Tim is an registered EMT and a fire fighter trainer, training firefighters in many procedures of firefighting techniques. He teaches firemen how to put out fires(there is a certain way to put out a fire), rescue people from cars and all other sorts odd training we never guessed firemen went through. Tim and the crew he is working with left last Tuesday to head to New Orleans to help people. First day there they found and saved someone from a house that was flooded. Awesome. Second day there Tim took the command center he built for the fire department, and went to New Orleans, by himself, to set up a communications center for people down there. (He went to an Air Force base close to where they live, bought an old command center that the Air Force junked out. He cleaned it up and painted it, added a few things that the fire department needed and now they use it for a command post. I wish I had pictures, this thing is awesome.) Why did he go by himself, because he like his brother is an idiot. Anyway, I finally got to actually talk to him Sunday night. He told me he was doing well but he could not come home like he had planned, the crew he went with is leaving to come home and a new crew is coming down and they need a leader. So you guessed it, Tim is staying to lead the new group and to help anyone who needs it while he is there. While I was talking to him he got very serious and said he had to go. I asked him if anything was wrong and he said he had a team member get hurt, an arterial cut. I think that means someone was cut and it cut through an artery. Not good. I asked him quickly if he needed anything, he just said, "Your Prayers."

So that's what this post is all about, prayers. I am asking all of you to pray for my brother. Not only him but all the firemen, armed forces, policemen, volunteers who are helping anyone and everyone who are going through this nightmare. Like the pictures above show, pray for them a guardian angle to help these heroes to be safe as they help those who are less fortunate.

Oh by the way, did I mention that my brother is my hero? He saved me once. I was not living like I should and he knew it, I will never forget the night we where out back of his house and he was crying telling me what I need to be doing. I have never forgot that night, it took me a while but it was because of that night I am where I am today. Not to shabby for a overweight little pesky younger brother who I used to beat up.

Proverbs 17:22 "A friend loves at all times, but a brother is born to help in times of trouble and adversity." That is Tim in a nutshell. Of course it would have to be a BIG nutshell. What? I had to get one shot in at him, he is my baby brother you know.

Oh and by the way yes that is a picture of a snow sculpture. Not too shabby for a bunch of snow.

God bless, Joe

Another fireman post!