Thank you, courageous firefighters

In this column, I don’t read very much about the debt we owe to a special segment of our fellow citizens.

So this is my paean of praise, honor and thanks to all the dedicated and courageous men and women who are doing the dirty and exhausting work of fighting the horrendous wildfires throughout the West.

They do this in service to the rest of us. In return, let us come together to do everything we can to support them and keep them safe – even if all we can do is say, “Thank you.”

This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 8:21 AM with the headline "Thank you, courageous firefighters."