Firefighters answer our prayers, too

There are things we found in the fire last week, too.
A blaze broke out Monday at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, built to be a house of God centuries ago.
Though we’re not unmindful of what Easter Sunday celebrates, that fire in the heart of Paris also inspired hope that this universally revered building will be rebuilt.
When the first photos and videos appeared, our hearts were filled with dread and we feared the worst.
Yet, aside from this building’s roof being destroyed, its fire-damaged interior displays an almost miraculous image of endurance.
Most trust the cathedral’s survival is in part due to the grace of God, but we would all do well to remember firefighters in our prayers, too.
In the case of the Notre Dame, if not especially for 20 men and women, loaded with gear, who climbed hundreds of steps up a narrow, spiral staircase in one of the cathedral’s two towers all might have been lost in the fire.
That’s not to diminish what hundreds of other firefighters did inside and outside that building.
Yet, it’s this kind of personal courage — fighting a fire inside it — that exemplifies these men and women who go above and beyond the call daily.
No, most runs don’t turn into a battle for anyone’s life, or in the case of Notre Dame — a battle for the ages.
Yet, volunteer and professional firefighters fight battles behind the scenes that most of us never know.
Volunteers comprise about 91 percent of firefighters in West Virginia. The communities they serve rely on them as the first line of defense for countless emergencies. There are 12 volunteer fire departments in both Monongalia and Preston counties. And, for each one, funding, equipment and filling their rosters is a chore.
Not to mention it’s a dangerous job and in recent years their ranks have thinned by more than 25 percent. It’s not that people don’t want to volunteer, it’s just that many must work two, three jobs to provide for their families.
Morgantown’s firefighters and some in Granville are paid, yet that does nothing to mitigate the risks or ensure resources and benefits.
Some already are decrying a potential 1 percent sales tax hike in Morgantown to generate revenues for firefighters’ seriously unfunded pension plans.
Not to mention another potential municipal fee to cover the costs of a dozen additional firefighters Morgantown hired in 2017.
It may seem inappropriate on a weekend when many voices are rising to the heavens to think of sirens screaming to a fire.
But like places of worship are special, from the small to the towering, so too are firefighers.
That’s something that should not be lost on any of us, either.