The fire service attracts people who want to take care of their community and many times those people happen to love adrenaline too.

When most of us get our driver’s license, we are excited to pick up our friends and go to lunch. For Chief Matthew Love, this meant he could respond to emergencies with his colleagues at his local volunteer fire department.

His unique responsibilities as a sophomore in high school earned him a unique privilege: a parking pass for the teacher’s lot. This was important when he received an emergency call on his pager so he could leave class and race to the person in need.

Chief Matt Love has served as the Fire Chief of the Fort Meyers Beach Fire Department since 2009. He is well-decorated in the fire service as a graduate of the United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and recipient of the distinguished Chief Fire Officer Designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

Firefighters love doing their job. They train for years to save our house, our loved ones, and us. They are eager to provide excellent service to you and I at a moment’s notice. “We don’t want bad things to happen in our community… but if it has to happen, it better happen on my shift in my district!” Chief Love illuminated the typical firefighter’s thoughts.

Firefighters, Chief Love urges you to never lose sight of the public service aspect of firefighting.

“It is easy for life to get in the way and firefighting can turn into a ‘job.’ Remember why you do it.“

It’s paramount that you always keep this top of mind. Civilians expect the best every time. Unfair expectations? Probably. Are firefighters up to the challenge? Absolutely.

There’s no ‘9-1-2.’ A civilian doesn’t have a choice when they need emergency help. Firefighters aren’t just first responders — many times they’re the only responders.

Chief Love has written several articles on leadership within the fire service as well. He encourages officers and leaders to “stop and smell the coffee.” In these digital times, it is easy to overlook the importance of interpersonal connections.

You can find Chief Love’s full write-up on this topic here.

To the general public, Chief Love wants to remind you of something very important: “We do so much more than put out fires.”

Firefighters are more than “fire fighters;” they are ultimate responders.

The community’s tax dollars fund the ultimate responder that the civilian needs in a time of emergency.

Secondly, Chief Love has noticed that many civilians expect the chief to be in the red suburban racing to all the fires around them. This is just one part of the job description.

The fire chief is the CEO of a multi-million dollar company. Not only does he or she have to respond to those calls, they also have to manage a multi-million dollar budget and be as efficient as possible with their funds. They must be an excellent steward of the tax-payers’ money.

Chief Love grew up a Denver Broncos fan, his hometown team as a child. His wife grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. So, when the Steelers came to Mile-high Stadium in Denver, they made sure to go to the game! They brought along another couple they were friends with —the husband was a firefighter with Chief Love.

They finally got to their seats and paused for a moment to appreciate how great their seats really were.

“The seats had such a great view that we could almost touch the stadium lights that lit up the field from above!”

Those of us who have tried to bargain for a last-minute ticket to a great game like this one and ended up in the “nosebleed seats” understand his sarcasm. Nonetheless, they were able to enjoy the game from their bird’s-eye vantage point.

The Broncos and Steelers were both great teams and the game was coming down to the wire in the fourth quarter. At a moment when the entire stadium was captivated by the 22 professional athletes on the field below, Chief Love and his friend were consumed by something else that had nothing to do with the game.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chief Love saw something that grabbed his full attention. Outside of the stadium, on the streets below, red flashing lights lit up the night. A Denver Fire ladder truck led the way, with an engine and heavy rescue on its tail, and a battalion chief pulling up the rear.

He soon learned he wasn’t the only one who was captivated. His firefighter friend that came to the game with him was also watching the responding units below with a laser focus.

Firefighting is more than a job.

Even after paying a lot for the tickets and the game being tight in the fourth quarter, Chief Love and his friend wanted to be down there helping them respond to someone’s emergency.

He shared this story with a friend who worked for UPS. After Chief Love finished sharing his story, his friend said, “Matt, when I’m off-duty and I see a package, I do not feel the urge to deliver it.”

That’s when Chief Love was sure of this: the fire service is unique and a firefighter’s passion for the fire service is unmatched.