Firefighters help an elderly man, then see his yard and go beyond the call of duty

Firefighters are usually the first on the scene of an emergency and the day that Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service in Alabama had a call about a man suffering chest pains was no exception.

Firefighters Tim Kennedy and Tommy Carter raced over to his home, where they found his lawnmower sitting in the middle of the yard. On finding the elderly man in his home he told them he needed help, adding that he was a 30-year veteran.

What the firefighters did in response just shows how these brave men and women are going the extra mile every day.

 

Firefighter Tommy Carter said: “When we got there we saw that his lawn was partially cut. His lawnmower was still sitting in the front yard. We went in, assessed the patient, decided that we needed to take him to the emergency room.”

An ambulance soon arrived at the patient’s house and he was taken to the hospital. With that, the firefighters were on their way back to the fire department.

But something made the two hesitate after recalling a conversation they had with the veteran while he was getting into the ambulance.

“He continued to tell us in the back of the ambulance that he was worried about getting his lawn cut before some weather came,” Carter explained.

So the firefighters decided they wanted to finish cutting the man’s lawn for him.

He explained: “We had the idea of going back and finishing cutting his lawn for him because that seemed to be a pretty big priority for him. I could tell that he was a kind, gentle, genuine person, and sometimes you meet people like that during this job and they touch your heart.

“That makes the decision even easier when you meet someone that has that kind of personality.”

The two hardworking firefighters wanted to help the man as their way of  thanking him for his service to his country.

“When you think about the military, the men and women who serve this country, I know I have nothing but respect and admiration for them, so for us to give a couple hours of our day to help him, that was a pretty big thing in our minds at the time,” Firefighter Kennedy added.

What a wonderful gesture from two hardworking members of the community to a man who risked his life and bravely fought in the Vietnam war.

There needs to be more of this in the world! Please share if you agree.