It was thirty years of high adventure and danger with the Detroit Fire Department. My last fire frightened me. On arrival I thought I could see a horned devil in the fire who was intent on taking my life. It was time to leave. It was a good choice because my wife Jo and I enjoyed almost twenty good years of travel and relaxation before she fell ill. A year after Jo passed away I decided to take a road trip to renew my life. What you will find on the BLOG LINK is a day by day log of that trip.

CLICK ON THE FIRE HORSES BOOK TO VISIT MY FIREFIGHTER WEBSITE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

An excerpt from my website www.rjhaig.com

A Brotherhood

During my career as a Detroit Firefighter I was honored to be elected President Local 344,The Detroit Firefighter’s Association. Part of my duties were to go to conferences and seminars across the country. These events were informative and helped make positive contacts for Local 344. The part I enjoyed most was meeting  Firefighters from other departments in different parts of the country. I soon found the brotherhood I enjoyed  in Detroit was a feeling shared by all Firefighters. Our profession bonded us. The dangers we faced generated a special knowledge of what we do. It is a brotherhood of warriors.

The terrible events of 911 put a spotlight on that brotherhood. Firefighters from across the country rushed to New York to help in the recovery attempts being made at the collapsed World Trade Center. Not long ago I attended a lecture given by retired NYFD Deputy Chief Richard Picciotto. He was in the North Tower of the World Trade Center when it came down around him. He and handful of  people survived that catastrophic collapse. Pitch told me he knew he was going to die when the building started to collapse around them. He said he was tossed around and collided with flying objects in a completely black atmosphere. Then there was complete silence. Pitch was lying on his back. He thought he was dead and when  he smelled smoke. His first thought was that he was in the wrong place to spend an afterlife He than realized the Lord had spared him. He and twelve of his firefighters were still alive and were able to complete their mission of rescuing an old lady. It was truly a miracle..Me and another retired Detroit Firefighter were able to talk privately with Chief Picciotto. When he left , my friend turned to me and said, “It seems like I knew that guy all my life.”

I told him, “You did. He was with us at all those tough fires we fought when we were on the job. He had a lot of different names but he was the same guy. That brotherhood we share rolls out of quarters everyday to help people. Every one of those fire companies has men like Richard Picciotto. We were lucky to be Firefighters. It is  a special brotherhood.”

I highly recommend you read Chief Picciotto’s book about the events that occurred on 911and his miraculous story of survival. Go to www.penguin.com and look for the book titled “Last Man Down.”

 

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