SALUTE TO A BROTHER’S BROTHER
EDITOR’S OPINION
I had nothing in the way of fire science or fire service background, but I had a willingness to learn and work hard. So after a while when Tom Brennan introduced me to members of the fire service as his “associate who does the whole magazine,” well, I felt proud that he appreciated my contributions but at the same time felt embarrassed because it just wasn’t true.
First, a man like Tom doesn’t have “associates.” He has brothers and sisters. He has the largest family in North America, and he couldn’t have it any other way. Anyone who has taken the time to get to know him (and there have been many) understands his warmth, his concern, his sense of humor, and his love for people. Those people walk away knowing that they’ve made a friend in the truest sense of the word.
Tom invited me into his—your—world and made me a part of it, listened to my problems, shared some of his own with me, and taught me a hell of a lot, and not just about the fire business. It didn’t take long to come away with the lesson here: The fire service —the brotherhood—is really about loving life and about trust. So much for “associate.”
Second, as far as “the whole magazine” goes: About seven years ago they pulled a diamond-in-the-rough truck captain out of the Brooklyn ghettos, gave him a chair and a desk with five manuscripts on it, and told him to go at it. I doubt they knew how brightly the star would shine. He started with basics. What should the magazine be? Firefighters talking real talk about important issues to firefighters who want and need to listen. Who should do the talking? The experts who protect America day in and day out. Tom Brennan cut through the noise and turned over the magazine to its rightful “owners”—you.
Success wasn’t a miracle. It took a lot of time, energy, and work from Tom and lots of people —from publisher to production and everyone in betw een—who shared the commitment to excellence in fire service training. But all along we were stepping to Tom’s beat. Whether we knew it or not, we were sharing his dream and his vision. The dream and vision were translated into a lot of ideas printed on pieces of paper, some of which were really home run and some maybe not what you wanted to hear, but always—and he stressed this every day as editor of Fire Engineering—always it was you.
Of course, Tom has the expertise, the experience, the “street smarts,” the personality, the intensity, and the intelligence to give his dream and vision a concrete reality that you can sink your teeth into. Yet the one thing that impressed me the most over the couple of years I’ve spent with Tom is his unflinching, steadfast devotion to his people—“my fire service,” he calls you. In his tough way, in his gravelly “Brooklvnese,” and w ith all the delicacy of a firefighter busting down a door to make a primary search, he took his love for you and poured it into the pages of our magazine. You were his reason and his motivation.
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So nowr Tom has decided to take that spirit with him to other areas, without the title of editor affixed to his name. But for Tom, titles are pretty meaningless anyway. As always he will be working with you and for you. You’ll feel his presence in our books and videos and especially in the editorial soul of this magazine.
I know there will be many others joining with me as I salute Tom Brennan for his lifelong commitment to making this country a safer place to live in. We congratulate you, Tom, on your successes and know that there will be many more down the road. And most of all, many, many thanks for being you —a brother’s brother.
