Helicopter Crash

Today was the 2nd day of our Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting training here in Salt Lake City. So far its pretty good and, as I expected, we (the firefighters of the 2008-2009 austral summer season) are bonding pretty well. Yet I can't help but think about my crew and wildland firefighting. A friend of mine and a fellow crewmember sent me a text message about a helicopter crash that occurred a couple days ago on the Iron Complex. She didn't give me many details but I checked them out that night and they definitely weren't good. According to a news statement released that night, the pilot was dead and 13 were injured. Today, reading the news, I found out that 9 were dead and 4 in critical conditions due to burns after the Sikorsky S-61 they were flying crashed and burned. It's pretty sobering to me since that could have been the very Sikorsky I could have been flying in let a lone the one which I had toured and whose crew I interacted with. I can't imagine what my crew is going through right now considering they're still on that fire. With these deaths, everything seems trivial. Everything that makes it in the news seems petty compared to that of 13 people that put their lives on the line for the sake of others without thinking twice. What can piss me off sometimes is knowing that some people skip over those articles and stories they see in the papers for something far less meaningless. Right now, I'm praying: I'm praying for the families of the 9 missing and feared dead. I praying for the 4 struggling to stay alive. I'm praying for all of the other firefighters in Northern California and especially the Iron Complex and the helibase that they are able to cope with the loss of our brothers and/or sisters. I'm praying for my crew. I'm praying that they're able to pull together and help get through this terrible ordeal and these trying times. I'm praying that their spirits are high and that they remain safe for the rest of this season. I'm praying that there are no more Line of Duty Deaths this season...wildland or structural. I pray for myself that I can return home safely to my mother and continue on with my quest in life. Please everyone stay safe...