BY JUSTIN CAPAUL
I have spent the past several weeks contemplating what the words “brother” and “sister” truly mean. Everyone around the fire service has used or at least heard these words get thrown around the firehouse, but is there really a defined meaning behind them? For this article, the word “brother” refers to our brothers and sisters as a body.
Over the past eight years, I have heard and used the words “brotherhood,” “brother,” “sister,” and “family” frequently, but lately I have been asking myself if everyone who says these words means them or even knows what they mean. You may tell yourself, I know what brotherhood means, but is it the same thing that Firefighter Joe or Medic Sue thinks it means?
A recent search on the Internet from dictionary.com yielded five definitions: (1) “the condition or quality of being a brother or brothers”; (2) “the quality of being brotherly; fellowship”; (3) “a fraternal or trade organization”; (4) “all those engaged in a particular trade or profession, or sharing a common interest or quality”; and (5) “the belief that all people should act with warmth and equality toward one another, regardless of differences in race, creed, nationality, etc.” It wasn’t until I got to this last definition that I thought I was finally making progress in my quest to define brotherhood, fire service brotherhood at that.
I have always had an idea about what I thought brotherhood was. Around the station, I have heard brother and brotherhood used in so many different ways that I thought it was a loose term that you used to greet fellow firefighters to show them that you have accepted them into the “brotherhood.” I really didn’t know what the “brotherhood” organization was, but I only hoped that I was part of it. More recently, I have been involved in several situations that I thought truly defined brotherhood and painted a clearer picture in my head.
Before I move on to my definition of brotherhood, I want to point out that everyone has their own definition that works for them. Some people’s definition may mimic the one stated earlier, “the belief that all people should act with warmth and equality toward one another, regardless of differences in race, creed, nationality, etc.” This is a great definition; it outlines what the brotherhood is all about. There really is no wrong definition of brotherhood. But, to me, this is not the all-encompassing definition of the firefighters’ brotherhood.
LEVELS OF BROTHERHOOD
There are three levels of brotherhood I believe most firefighters should have among themselves; they have evolved into my definition of true brotherhood.
Physical
Driving down the street, you see a vehicle with firefighter license plates, a union sticker, maybe someone wearing a fire department shirt. We give each other the “wave.” I can think of so many times on and off duty that I have given and received this wave. Don’t confuse this with a full lifted-arm wave. Every brother knows this wave; it can’t be defined on paper. This “wave” signifies that each party recognizes they are brothers. It also signified that we all “serve” and share in a common vision for the community. Often, it feels almost as if we already know each other.
Verbal
This relates back to the statement above that we have all heard “brother,” “sister,” and “brotherhood” used around the firehouse. Everyone knows or has seen firefighters who call every firefighter “brother,” regardless of whether they personally know the firefighter. What they do know is that there is a brotherhood within this occupation and they want to be proactive in that organization. A great way to promote your organization or brotherhood is to call each other brothers. Some view this practice in a negative light. They think that words are just words and that actions are louder. But, behind every word is a definition. When you are called “brother,” you know you have been accepted into the “fraternal or trade organization.” Your fellow firefighters know that you share the same qualities and have the same occupation or hobbies. They realize they could be relying on you one day. At some point, you might train together, fight fire together, or even grieve together.
Sadly, for many individuals, this is the level at which their brotherhood stops. They have accepted that by saying “brother” they have laid their roots into this fraternal organization and that they are now part of the brotherhood.
This, to me, does not define the entire circle of brotherhood. I believe the definition of brotherhood lies in step three.
The “Brother” Experience
This third level is the hardest to define; but when you find the answer, you will know you have found brotherhood. This is the level where you find out what it’s like to be a brother. You find out that when you need your house roofed two weeks before snow, six brothers, off-duty, show up eager to give you a hand. You realize what the brotherhood is when you break your leg and can’t work for six months and your brothers show up to mow your lawn, fix your showerhead, and ensure that your family is taken care of. You live the brotherhood when a brother loses his infant son and you make one phone call; before you know it, you are handing that brother a check to cover the headstone, the funeral, and a big portion of the medical bills. You feel the brotherhood when you get diagnosed with testicular cancer and you receive an outpouring of support, cards, love, and true concern for your health, above and beyond what any other “co-worker” could give you. You know the brotherhood when you lose a family member and the first 10 rows of the church are filled with uniformed firefighters.
This is the true definition of brotherhood. It took me eight years to find my definition of brotherhood, and I couldn’t find the definition at dictionary.com. I have lived through all of the examples above, and every one of them defined more clearly what the brotherhood was about. I try to always remember the oath I took when I joined Local 2856: “…do you further promise that you will never knowingly wrong a brother/sister, or see him wronged? … to all of this you pledge your honor to observe and keep as long as life remains….”
Following is a quote from my dad, who has more than 20 years in the fire service: “For years it has brought me great joy and peace knowing that I was a part of the greatest group in the world, the brotherhood of firefighters. Today I have not lost that joy and peace, but sadness has crept insadness knowing that no other profession, no other group, and no other people in the world can experience “The Brotherhood of Firefighters” as I have for more than 20 years, and my brothers and sisters will forever.”
Reference
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 29 Oct. 2008. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brotherhood.
JUSTIN CAPAUL is a fourth-generation firefighter with Kootenai County (ID) Fire & Rescue. He has an associate degree in fire science and is working on a bachelor’s degree in business management. Throughout his eight-year career, he has become an engineer and EMT-I. He is involved with the Idaho State Region I Hazmat team and the Comprehensive Plan Leadership Committee and is an active member of the technical rescue team.
