It's easy sometimes to forget, in the midst of story after story about insurance co-pays, arbitrations and budgets, that real people put real lives on the line in the performance of their duties.
Those priorities straightened considerably when a 100 pound chunk of metal fell on Lawrence Park Deputy Chief Michael Crotty this week, ending his life after only 24 years.
He had just been hired as a City of Erie firefighter. His family told us he had never been prouder.
I'm not here to tell you who is right or wrong in negotiating budgets.
I'm here to tell you that all of us have better lives because a precious few are willing to risk it all in the protection of the lives and properties of others.
As hundreds of firefighters come to Erie County this weekend to say goodbye to a promising young talent, I'm drawn to a single statement usually embroidered on a cloth displayed at firefighter funerals.
Lest We Forget.
We never should.