(On July 17) a letter by Harry Riley of Bangor was published regarding our Bangor firefighters. I would like to share my own personal experience with our firefighters. On Jan. 28, my home caught on fire. At the time my two children and I were caught in a smoke-filled house and 1,200- to 1,300-degree temperatures. My attempts to save the lives of my children were unsuccessful.

When the Bangor firefighters arrived (I was told it was within minutes of the call), without hesitation they entered my home and pulled me and my children out. They immediately began attempts to revive our unconscious bodies. Through no fault of theirs, they were unable to revive my children; however, they continued and were able to revive me by CPR on my front porch.

After being released from the hospital a month and a half later, I learned that not only did this tragedy affect my life but also the lives of our firefighters. I met the firefighters and they have never stopped showing concern and support for me and my family. It was then that I realized that not only do they put their own lives at risk, but they continually have to live with the emotional trauma that goes with the job. That is why I cannot believe how we can allow our firefighters to go on saving our lives, protecting us, and caring about us, without a respectable contract. This tells all of us that our lives are just not that important.

I will do what I can to let people know just how important this is, but I am just one person. Please share with the city council how important it is to you. I am also placing a small toy fire truck on my children’s grave to share with them just how much our firefighters cared for them and their mom. Just saying thank you is not enough to insure their continued quality support for our families and their protection. If you don’t believe that they are doing their jobs, just turn on your scanners.

This is witten with support from Jim and family members. Rhonda Brown Bangor