Thank a Fire Department Spouse or Partner

The brave men and women who are again gathering from across the country to fight the California wildfires deserve every one of the accolades they are receiving and more. There's a directly related component to those brave firefighters I don't think we stop to praise often enough.

The spouses and partners of firefighters enable their loved one's dedication through many unsung sacrifices:

• Reheating meals or rescheduling meal times all together
  
• Interrupting, postponing or rescheduling plans when the pager calls
  
• Going without precious full family time of which no one has enough
• Accepting and often embracing the risks that firefighters face every day, especially in dangerous situations like the wildfires

The immediate families of firefighters have enabled public service ever since the industry's earliest days. God bless them!

Little did my shy mother DiAnn Ehler know that her marriage to firefighter Gary Svenson would take her through the streets of downtown Decorah on her wedding night on the old Decorah Fire water wagon, as pictured above. She also simply smiled and got to work upon returning from her honeymoon to find every piece of furniture in her new home crammed into one room by the new members of her firefighting family. Thank you, Mom. You enabled the career Dad so deeply enjoyed.

The next time you encounter the spouse or partner of a firefighter, pause for a moment and thank them for their dedication. Their understanding enables all of us to be a little safer!