The Rhythm

By Bobby Halton

Mark Twain is credited with a quote that goes something like this: “History may not repeat itself but it does rhyme.” It seems that every time in our history we needed great people to step up, they did. The fire service has been blessed with people stepping up, whether it was folks like Benjamin Franklin in the early days; Chief Croker at the turn of the century; or Chiefs Brunacini, Stapleton, and Coleman in our day. These firefighters found solutions to the vexing problems of their day. Sometimes their thoughts threatened the status quo, but nonetheless all of these men held their principles far above their popularity.

And as is often the case with history, we sometimes forget these great ones and the sacrifices they were willing to make for us with the passage of time. Take, for example, “the Loyal Nine.” You may not know who these men were, but if you’re an American, you owe your American way of life to their courage and sacrifice. Their amazing story is related to an unfair and unwanted tax that met with tremendous resistance from the people beginning in 1765.

The tax was called the Stamp Act, and the reason the folks in the colonies were so upset by it was that they had no say in how those taxes were raised or how that money would be spent. The tax required that anything printed in the colonies be printed on paper carrying a stamp produced in London-thus, the name the Stamp Act. The money from this tax was redistributed to pay for troops that the British stationed in the colonies. The folks in the colonies did not feel the troops were needed, and at first they petitioned vigorously to have the tax revoked.

But like most large and arrogant governments, the British government at the time cared little about what the people cared about. Luckily for us in Boston in 1765, a group of shopkeepers who called themselves the Loyal Nine got together. We believe the original members were John Avery, merchant; John Smith, brass worker; another John Smith, printer; Joseph Field, ship captain; Benjamin Edes, printer; Stephen Cleverly, brass worker; Henry Bass, merchant; George Trott, jeweler; and Thomas Crafts, painter. Most Americans have never heard those names, but these are the men really responsible for lighting the fuse of liberty.

As in most unpopular situations, lots of folks complain, but every now and then great men and women among us do more than that: They take action; they make a difference; and making a difference involves taking a risk, having a commitment to your virtues and principles and living up to that commitment. So in 1765, the Loyal Nine decided to take action. Using the power of the press, they produced opinion pieces against the Stamp Act and taxation without representation. They urged people to use paper without the stamp as a way to oppose this unfair tax. The idea caught on, and soon there was widespread rebellion. Quickly, folks of a like mind began to band together, and these groups of people began to call themselves the Sons of Liberty.

The Sons of Liberty began to organize protests and demonstrations against the Stamp Act. Oftentimes, these protests and demonstrations turned violent and destructive. On several occasions, effigies of local tax collectors were hung and burned. As a result, others responsible for collecting the taxes became very nervous for their safety, and many of them resigned their commissions. Quickly, the crowds of the Sons of Liberty grew so large that even the sheriffs were afraid to confront them. But because of the effective use of print, the powerful efforts of the Sons of Liberty, and continuous petitioning, the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. But the fuse of liberty was lit, and today all Americans can call themselves Sons of Liberty.

Our fire service history has our own version of the Loyal Nine and the Sons of Liberty. In 1995, there was a perceptible drift of focus and mission creep in the fire service. We were becoming more of a job and less of a calling, more workers and fewer servants. But fortunately, again, great Americans stepped forward to correct that drift. Almost 20 years ago, six Florida firefighters-Mike Gilbert, Mike Stallings, John “Bart” Simpson, Tom Redmond, Walt Lewis, and Ken Ireland-decided it was time to join Sisyphus in pushing that boulder back up the hill and remind all of us that our love for one another is the most important part of our profession.

They began holding meetings for the Fraternal Order of Leatherheads and spreading the word at our most venerated gathering point, FDIC. They began telling us to get involved with St. Baldrick’s Day to raise money for kids with cancer, with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for the homeless, and with the Firefighter Cancer Foundation and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. They taught us that true brotherhood is about love-love of the job, love of our traditions, love of our communities and our nation, and love of each other.

They stepped up and gave us a place of refuge and comfort for all firefighters, young and old, male and female, career and volunteer, retired and buffs-a place of our own. The only criterion is that you love the job. Today we call those great firefighters our Founding Fools, and those of us who believe in loyalty, honor, duty, respect, selfless sacrifice, and personal courage join with them in celebrating the mission and virtues of the fire service. In tune with these values, we call ourselves the FOOLS.