From Chile: Heroes on the Way

Tonight I was strolling calmly home from the supermarket with my husband and my dog –- a normal Sunday evening with my little family unit.

We took the elevator up to our third floor apartment and walked down the outdoor hallway to number 302. But, something stopped us all in our tracks (yes, even my dog) –- a horrendous popping noise so loud my ears stung.

I turned slowly and looked out. Less than a block away, in my theoretical backyard, was a fire raging. Two top floor apartments appeared to be burning down completely. My heart leaped into my throat. As the flames licked high up into the sky I saw the light go on in one of the homes right under the two that were burning. There were people still in the building. “Get them out!” I shrieked, panicked, to nobody in particular.

Thank goodness that less than one minute after I said the words, I heard the screams of fire trucks come roaring down my street. In the time it took me to say a little prayer and type up a quick blog post about the fire, asking others to do the same, the flames were put out. When I checked again from the hallway, all I could see was an enormous stream of water, shooting high up into the sky, and the shadows of the firemen in their big helmets, using gigantic flashlights as they checked through all the apartments in the building, one by one, making sure nobody was still inside.

Hopefully nobody was hurt, but either way, a few families most likely lost everything. So, obviously, this post is probably hitting you as bad news and has most likely left you thinking, “What does this have to do with Tonic, a site about good news?”

Well, let me tell you that the residents of the apartments in this building that these heroes saved should be eternally grateful. In Chile, where I live, firemen receive very minimal government funding.

The men and women who work for this entity here are all volunteers. Yes, volunteers, as in, they are not paid at all for the work saving lives and homes that they do. And on top of that, they actually have to pay a monthly fee for being fire fighters out of their own pockets in order to finance their equipment, including, but not limited to, the special heat resistant suits that they use to keep them safe.

Because government funds, at both a local and national level, are not sufficient to pay for the upkeep of trucks, buildings, equipment etc., firemen are actually reduced to standing out on street corners and highways, asking for money from people as they drive by. The firemen of Chile wish to find more funding because begging is "humiliating and demotivating for the young people who wish to serve.”

Yet, they do it anyways. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen the firemen out on the streets, stretching their hats towards me to ask for a few coins. Give, people, give! If you live in a country where the firemen system is voluntary, donate! These are men and women willing to risk their lives to save yours. It’s the least you can do.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Hepp