Service Before Self ; The Motto of Public Safety

GULF SHORES Ala.
December 4, 2024

By: Rick McCann

The turkey is in the oven, and someone has just walked in with their famous pecan pie and a green bean casserole.

People have begun crowding into the kitchen as the smells of Thanksgiving are filling the air and everybody’s getting very hungry.

The family and a few friends have gathered to celebrate this special holiday just like thousands of other Americans are doing across the nation

But before the turkey is completely roasted, and the stuffing fully put together, this family is running toward the bay, a place where their vehicles have been parked.

An emergency alarm is sounding, and an announcement is loudly broadcast on the P.A. system, letting this family know that they’re needed immediately at the scene of a motor vehicle wreck with multiple injuries. One person is said to have been trapped and another vehicle is overturned.

For this family, once again this year, the Thanksgiving dinner will have to wait.

Many of our nation’s emergency responders are working on this and many other holidays away from their own families while trying to make the best of it with their work families.

Police, firefighters, medics, and dispatchers, often miss out on special occasions like holidays, birthdays, and graduations with families.  

It’s a sacrifice that they all make but it’s often overlooked by the public and sometimes even their own employers.

Whether it’s July 4^th or December 25^th, emergency responders, both paid and volunteer, are on duty answering their community’s calls for help.

Although the calendar may announce the holidays that we celebrate each year, for many emergency employees, it’s just another workday.
Celebrations often must wait for later hours or the day after and sometimes even until the employee’s next day off.

Still, around the country, and I’m certain, around the world, our first responders felt a calling to their profession and knew before they considered employment in the chosen field, that there would be a lot of sacrifice and a lot of hard work.

Most knew that commitment was going to be a large part of the requirements of the job.

Some public safety agencies believe in this motto so much that it’s written on every vehicle,
“SERVICE BEFORE SELF”.

So, whether it’s Easter or Mother’s Day, our men and women in public safety will always be there when you need them the most.