Firefighters don’t just put out fires, they have the incredibly difficult task of being first responders to a variety of situations. Not only do they have to make sure everyone is safe, but they also have to make sure they aren’t scared.
When firefighter Russell Whaley arrived at a car accident, he stopped everything to make sure a small boy named Lucas wouldn’t worry as his mother had been injured in the accident.
“Firefighters wanted to check me and my daughter out first because we had the most visible damage,” mom Shana Pacheco told TODAY. “My son started getting worried and scared. He was nervous seeing me with an oxygen mask and all this stuff on me.”
“That’s part of our job. A lot of times we’re dealing with emotional needs. It’s not just putting out a fire, or putting a Band-Aid on a wound. I’m proud of our guys for doing that,” said Keith Welch, Battalion Chief of Chandler Fire, Health & Medical.
Photo by Facebook/Steffani Blair
Steffani Blair had passed by the accident, and was touched when she saw the firefighter reading to the shaken boy. In her post to Facebook, Steffani wrote:
While everyone walked away with just a few scratches, Pacheco was so impressed with the crew’s care. “Another crew member made him a little hand balloon from a glove and drew a silly face on it,” she said. “You know, that’s not part of their job.”
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[Featured image credit: Facebook/Steffani Blair]