Anyone who attended the September 7^th Fallen Heroes 5k Memorial Run sponsored by the NJFMBA was treated to a memorable day celebrating the Fire Service and the remarkable people associated with it.

     If I didn’t know better I would have thought we were back in time when firefighters and their families routinely gathered together to enjoy one another’s company and celebrate family, country and service to our community.

     On a spectacular day of weather, 82 degrees with a slight breeze and a clear blue sky approximately 1,000 people gathered to support the NJFMBA Fallen Heroes Memorial 5k Race.  Great competition, wonderful enthusiasm, delicious food and ice cold drinks were the standards for the day.  The kids races stole the show with more activities than ever to keep our children more than occupied while Mom and Dad shared a drink and a story with friends old and new.

      Perhaps the most encouraging sign of the day were the countless volunteers who supported Chairman Bob Lavin as he orchestrated perhaps our best event to date.  These volunteers not only included the same veterans we have grown to count on each and every year since this race was started, but also included countless new faces, rookie firefighters and their families who brought new energy to this event.

     Everyone who participated had an opportunity to witness all that is great about our profession.  Our ability to rally together for a cause and have an awesome time doing it was proven to be alive and well.  From the veteran firefighter to the rookie, members and their families doing their part to continue the traditions of such a proud fraternity lent their time and energy to pull together a tribute to those who gave their lives so others could live in safety.

     So we can still make it happen, we have the inclination and the will, we enjoy a fine tradition and clearly the personnel to continue it.  Providing the forum and the venue to allow the much discussed camaraderie and brotherhood to manifest itself is clearly our charge.  To Bob Lavin and the entire 5K staff we are in your debt for not only delivering a first class event and memorial service, but more importantly for proving beyond any doubt that the future of our industry is in good hands. 

     A day of Fire Boats with full red, white and blue display, bagpipers, the Governor running alongside us, children laughing and playing and competing, medals for the swiftest and music for the merry may not be a definitive sign that New Jersey firefighters are once again engaged and resolved to stick together.  If you were in attendance and witnessed any and all of the above you might have to agree, however, that we are capable of being a real family, a real brotherhood and a force to be reckoned with.     

     Thank you to all who participated in making this years’ 5K Run more than we could have hoped for.  Now on to convention and Myrtle Beach and the League of Municipalities Convention and a continued resolute advocacy for firefighters and their loved ones we move as an organization.  I can only hope that each and every one of our next events and our next challenges are met with the same energy, enthusiasm and excitement that was generated at the Elizabeth waterfront on the 7^th of September.

           “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

                                                                                                                      _________ Walt Whitman