Below is by: Michael Horst

“I Stand With The Brothers & Sisters Of Polk County Fire & Rescue”…there I said it and I mean it with all of my heart. Some of you know I’ve just returned from a tremendous training event in Tampa Florida where I was invited to come and share Firefighter Survival & Hasty Rescue Techniques. This was at the First Annual Cigar City FOOLS Project Vacant. During my two days I was blessed to meet some of the most amazing Florida firemen. Project Vacant was an hard hittin two days of physical and emotional stress induced training and the takeaways were incredible. The Polk County fire fatality event was fresh and a frequent discussion point among us. Coincidentally the keynote speaker for the event was Fire Captain Stone, from Okaloosa County in North Florida, who by using Vent Enter Search rescued a homeless women from certain death on Valentine’s Day eve this year. During the second day as one of the groups rotated into my station I looked up and quickly noticed a soot stained white helmet and front which read ‘Polk County Fire Rescue’. I quickly stood up and shook his hand and welcomed him to the scenario. The scenario which I aptly named “So Others May Live” was designed as to make everyone aware that when life hangs in the balance, we must do everything possible to save human life whenever that opportunity presents itself. During the lunch break I made it a point to hang with the chief and listen. I just tried to be there for him however I could. Here was a leader who had just left a 96 straight hour work tour to come train with us. His face was tired, and not just work tired, it was painfully tired from everything his department has been through. He told me that there are over
100 vacancies on his job! I could tell the world weighed heavy on him. At the end of the day when we were having the ‘Hot Wash’…the chief pushed forward…and he needed to be heard. The raw details of what all he said to us will remain between us but in a nutshell he made an emotional plea with us to not blame all of the men and women of his department for the actions of one. He told us how grateful he was that we accepted him with such open arms…can you imagine that he thanked us? There is much we all don’t know that happened at that tragic fire. It will come out eventually and I think you’ll understand why they’re hurting over it. So I’m going to ask any of my FB fire friends to think before you comment on this fire. I believe in the end they’ll get it figured out but in the meantime know that when Polk County Fire & Rescue is dispatched on an alarm I feel certain the department gives a 150%. I Stand With The Brothers & Sisters of Polk County Fire & Rescue! I hugged the chief and gave him my card and asked that if he ever needed to talk…any hour night or day to call…I hope I hear from him soon. By: Michael Horst