From the start of his career, Rick Stack knew the kind of firefighter he wanted to be: one who stood out as a leader, with unshakable calm under pressure — the authority known as “command presence.â€
That command was what Stack aspired to as he strode across spilled gasoline and broken glass at accidents, or charged into rooms electric with panic on medical calls. It was a gift he could give people in the worst moments of their lives: the relief of seeing someone take control. At his best, Stack says, it felt like he could do anything — and like nothing he walked into could touch him, no matter how bad.
“I thought I was bulletproof,†he says. “I thought nothing ever bothered me.â€...
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https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/07/28/firefighter-haunted-horrors-past/8zzkHhJXTt9U1vkq4UMAGJ/story.html?p1=BGHeader_SmartBar_Breaking?s_campaign=breakingnews:newsletter
I'm not sure what I think about this. As a long-time medic and not a firefighter, maybe it was different for us. Or, for me. I can still see some of those faces, but I'm at peace with them now. Maybe it's a matter of enough distance and faith in God.
