Masada

My colleague Beth Anne and I had a meeting the other day with some folks at a center for adults with mental retardation. MR adults are often hidden away, they are not cute, and we as a society don't know what to do with them. After our meeting, Beth Anne and I stood outside chatting for a while at the top of a hill, and watched the MR folks come out in a fire drill. It was wonderful to see how they helped each other: one fellow even carried another out on his back. The two of us remarked how this renewed our dedication to the mission of Fire Rescue.  And as I drove away I had the thought that we ought to take each rookie class to see something like this, and have them take their oath in the presence of these folks. That would be hard to forget.