Around 2:00am last Friday morning—after a pleasant evening filled with gratitude over the fact that my office and condo in Myrtle Beach were largely unscathed by the ravage of Hurricane Dorian, and with celebration over the Atlanta Braves’ victory over their division rivals, the Washington Nationals—I was sound asleep when my smoke alarm suddenly began blaring. My wife and I, along with our pup, Millie, got up quickly; I immediately made sure that my son, Patrick, and my beautiful granddaughter, Helena, were safely out of the house and called 9-1-1!

Fewer than five minutes later, as I ran through my smoke-filled house searching for the flames, a hook and ladder truck, two pumper trucks, and an ambulance arrived on scene and took control of the situation. Altogether, ten men and women came to my family’s rescue, and they handled the incident professionally and superbly—to say that I was impressed with their knowledge and attention to detail is an understatement. They quickly located the source of the fire (my HVAC unit) and, thankfully, were able to extinguish it with only minimal damage to my home.

Though the experience certainly was not what I would call a pleasant one, I could not be more thankful for the safety of my family, the security of my home, and the outstanding team that came to our aid. My hat is off to the first responders from the Columbia Fire Department, so much so that I have sung their praises to Mayor Benjamin, Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins, and City Council and their staff. How lucky we are to have these exceptional men and women serving to protect the city of Columbia!