Last Friday night, our crew rolled in as the second truck to a house fire. Right from the street, you could feel it wasn’t going to be your typical fire. This place had been neglected for years – trees overtaking the yard, brush up to your knees, garbage and debris everywhere. There were even washing machines in the yard. We couldn’t get a full view of the front door. You had to pick your way around just to find access. No easy lanes. No textbook setup. It was the kind of fire where you knew right away it was going to test us.
And it did. But we showed up.
With junior firefighters on my crew, I found myself watching more than usual. Watching how eager they were to move, to contribute, to figure it out in real time. Watching them try to interpret not just what I was saying, but what the scene itself was asking of them. And they didn’t flinch. They found a rhythm. They trusted the system. They trusted each other. That kind of willingness? That kind of team effort? That’s something I won’t forget.
Everyone walked away from that scene with a slightly different take. That’s how these calls go. But what stayed with me was this: the quiet pride of seeing a crew work like one – where everyone bought into the mission and didn’t wait for perfect instructions to take action. They just went to work.
This truth goes out to my crew – and to the crews across the country who do this every single shift. We forget sometimes. We get buried in the grind, the tones, the repetition. But every now and then, something shakes you out of it and reminds you: we signed up for something real. And when you’re lucky, you get to be part of a crew that reminds you why.
The Glue That Holds a Crew Together
Firefighting is rooted in pride. In belief. In duty. But what holds it all together is each other. The crew. The people we train with, trust with, and sometimes stand quietly beside when the adrenaline’s worn off and we’re just packing hose in the dark.
To the newer firefighters: don’t underestimate your energy. It’s noticed. It matters. The fire service has this way of throwing fresh faces into the mix, and it’s easy to see that as a risk. But it’s not – it’s the future walking through the door. And it’s our job to invest in that.
We stay current by training. We stay sharp by evolving. But we stay human – and stay whole – by remembering we’re not doing any of this alone.
Appreciate your crew. Show up for each other. And never forget who we serve.
Kory Pearn is a career firefighter and captain; and the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of CRACKYL Magazine.
