In prayer for our First Responders

In prayer for our First Responders

I come to you today with a heart full of emotion.

I grieve with the family, friends, and First Responders closest to Lawrenceburg Firefighter Jason Dickey. I hope they know that even those of us not acquainted with him are deeply affected by his loss.

Monday night I witnessed the brotherhood that exists between First Responders. I will never forget the image of firefighters and their families lining the halls of our hospital, the parking lot full of emergency vehicles, and personnel at the fire station caught in the grips of this tragedy.

The affection and honor First Responders have for one another is moving. I saw it expressed again when firefighters from Spring Hill and Columbia took over operations at the Lawrenceburg fire station so our men could be with their families that night.

Tuesday morning, personnel from Murfreesboro and Franklin arrived to relieve those replacements. Fire department chaplains from all over Tennessee are here to help those who are grieving.

I am so grateful for the sacrifice our firemen, policemen, ambulance personnel and other emergency workers make to serve us. They not only put their lives on the line, they spend an incredible amount of time training for every type of emergency situation.

Their work saves lives, and I know of nothing more important than that.
We are fortunate that those First Responders include an army of volunteers spread across our county. Several Volunteer Fire Departments came to assist Lawrenceburg firefighters Monday night, but others were helping search for a six-year-old boy who had walked away from his Loretto home. He was found safe, but very cold.

This is not an easy time to be a First Responder. New risks arise constantly to go along with the ones they’ve faced all along. I ask you to include them in your daily prayers, and especially now, those who are hurting so badly.