I’ve sat here for the longest time staring at this picture. Last night Assistant Chief Dennis Straight was struck and killed by a vehicle while working a motor vehicle accident in Lancaster County SC. This hits me particularly hard, Lancaster is one of my neighboring counties and is a very tight knit community, especially in emergency services. The South Carolina fire service itself is a very tight community with very few strangers. “Today could be the day” That is a quote I picked up somewhere along the way and its something I use a lot when I teach firefighters. We are on Facebook and Instagram and social media everyday and we see all these big events, multistory commercial fires, plant and industrial explosions, rescues of all shapes and sizes, maydays and rescues and everyday we say that only happens in the big cities or someplace else never here, not my hometown not in my department. The thing is we are always only one call away from what could be the worse day of our careers. Today could be the day that the rig is blindsided at the same intersection you travel through everyday, today might be the day that the fail safe at the local plant fails and you and your four man crew will be greeted at the guard shack with billowing black smoke as far as the eye can see. Last night unfortunately we were dealt with a horrible, heart breaking reminder that Today could be the day. Nobody expected to go out on a run and lose anyone let alone the Assistant Chief. His wife did not expect the knock at the door last night, she did not expect to lose the love of her life. There are a lot of broken hearts all throughout South Carolina tonight and a family, and a fire house that will never be the same. Across this country we now have lost 77 firefighters. Be careful out there, love your brothers and sisters and keep a watch over them, we are our brothers keeper. God Speed brother, you have performed your duty to the best of your abilities now take your rest, we have the watch from here. 5-5-5