Firefighters are a fortunate lot.
In my mind, these were names reserved for members of a family, and I wondered why such familiar and obviously affectionate nicknames were used so freely among men and women who worked together. I knew for certain that being professional meant keeping a little distance between yourself and your colleagues. And yet, here I was, hearing the firefighters refer to each other as siblings. My rookie's mind searched for an explanation for this odd custom, but I need not have dwelled on it long. I enrolled in fire school with the Crawford County, Pennsylvania Fireman's Association.