Firefighters Catch Children Being Thrown From Burning Building

And there is video footage!

There’s a reason so many kids grow up idolizing firefighters, and wanting to join their ranks. They’re not only death-defying daredevil bad-asses, they are honest-to-god heroes whose job depends on them risking their lives to help others.

Recently, more fuel was added to the heroic fire during a blaze outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and now that the footage is circulating across social media, you can actually watch the heroes in action.

Who needs Infinity War?

via GIPHY

During the fire, which was in Decatur, Georgia just days after the new year on January 3rd, parents were dropping children from balconies to get them out of harm’s way, and the video is astonishing.

WHOA! A dozen residents rescued from apartment #fire in #GA. #Firefighter catches a child thrown from a balcony. Amazing footage. @DCFRpubaffairs @DCFRlocal1492 Watch: pic.twitter.com/Ow2G7pnNs6

— Vanessa Morales (@NewsDeskChica) January 15, 2018

CBS News reported details of the fire, which erupted outside Atlanta early in the morning and had 45 firefighters on the scene.

Victims’ ages ranged from 1 month to approximately 36, according to Captain Eric Jackson, who also told reporters that people were dropping babies into firefighters’ arms during the fire.

“We were catching babies like a football – literally,” Jackson told CBS News. “There were adults that were on the balcony that were dropping their babies right into our arms. We had a couple firefighters catching babies, so it was just really incredible.”

Later in the day, CNN interviewed Captain Jackson, and he detailed further heroics involving rescued children.

"As she was starting to go up the ladder, she gets tossed a blue blanket – it just so happens there was a baby inside" – Capt. Eric Jackson details the heroic efforts of the Dekalb County Fire and Rescue firefighters https://t.co/H3OYyYBgWu pic.twitter.com/36wnTx8x2y

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 15, 2018

“As she was starting to go up the ladder, she gets tossed a blue blanket – it just so happens there was a baby inside,” Capt. Jackson told the news network.

A dozen people were rescued, including children, babies, and even someone in a wheelchair. Local news people couldn’t keep calm on social media.

DeKalb firefighters were catching babies (young as 1 month old) as parents dropped from balconies during apt fire. Also rescued adults, including one in wheelchair. All minor injuries to dozen taken to hospital pic.twitter.com/9tR8etl0g1

— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) January 3, 2018

And neither could the regular joes among us, awed by and grateful for the firefighters’ heroics.

Hats off to Captain Jackie Peckrul and the rest of the heros, the Dekalb County fire fighters, for an amazing act of selfless heroism. Just watched in awe the report on @ABCWorldNews . God bless!@DCFRlocal1492 @ABC https://t.co/j1JIprl8md

— Amro Zakaria Abdu (@aswagalmal) January 15, 2018

Wow! Thank you firefighters for always having our backs in these dangerous situations. You guys are amazing.
— spilled.pepper (@crystalsatierf) January 15, 2018

Who else got tears watching this one? To all #FireFighters and I mean ALL, You will never know the true extent of your heroism or our unwaivering Gratitude! #ThankYou
— Laura Marie LIVE (@TweetsfromLML) January 15, 2018

Who needs the Avengers when we have these guys?

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Which do you relate to most?

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“As the garage door closed behind me, I heard a muffled whimper.

“What is that?” I wondered. Another whimper and I noticed eight fingers on the lid of one of the garbage cans in the corner. I spy a set of eyes, then a nose and finally my oldest son’s face.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“What happened? Where is your brother?” No answers, just sobbing.

He moped toward the door and I followed him into the kitchen. I half-expected to see CSI investigators hovering over a chalk outline.

We walked around the corner by the refrigerator, and only then did I see his brother and allow myself to take my first breath. Then I saw a hole in the drywall the size of a young boy’s torso.

They had been running & sliding, in their stocking feet, across the marbled kitchen floor. Obviously a bit too exuberantly! I was relieved that they were both okay, but I still mustered enough anger to quash any future escapades.

Each blamed the other, of course. I used to say I couldn’t always tell when my kids were lying, but I could always tell when they were telling the truth.

If that makes any sense to you, I’m guessing you’ve raised at least two boys.”

Ron Fuller

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email fatherfigures@thedad.com

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Son Surprises Ailing Dad With Tickets To College World Series

By Mike Julianelle

Father’s Day is a special time to celebrate your old man, and show him how much you appreciate the role he’s played in your life all these years. Especially since, as we get older, our dads do too, and they may not have many Father’s Days left.

Matt Lea recognized that this Father’s Day, and so went out of his way to make it a memorable one, for both him and his father, both former college baseball players who bonded over the game as Matt was growing up.

Matt’s father Billy suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, and the symptoms have been accruing rapidly. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for more memories, and Matt used the latest Father’s Day as an opportunity to do just that. The 36-year-old drove 12 hours, from Florida to Mississippi, and surprised his parents at their doorstep on Sunday.

He was bearing gifts as well, bringing his dad the jersey of his favorite baseball team, Mississippi State. But that wasn’t all. Matt brought tickets too, to see the College World Series in Omaha in person.

In video of the exchange that Matt posted on Twitter, his dad was clearly taken by surprise.

Surprised my dad today to tell him I’m taking him to Omaha to watch @HailStateBB play. His Alzheimer’s is setting in fast but I know he’s going to have a blast this weekend. Hail State!!! pic.twitter.com/NTtAxcxxIj

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

“I figured it’s probably not good enough just for us to watch the game here,” Matt says in the video as he produces the tickets. “How about we go to Omaha? Do you want to go up to Omaha and watch the College World Series together?”

“Golly,” an emotional Billy responds. “You’re gonna break my heart, here.”

Matt’s gift for his dad received a rapturous response from Twitter, where it’s been liked 46,000 times and retweeted 11,000 times.

Thanks everyone. I live 12 hours away in Florida now so it took him completely by surprise when I showed up. We can’t wait to get up there. Hate we’ll only be there for opening weekend but it’s going to be a great final trip for us.

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

Matt seemed as surprised by the response as his dad was by the gift, as everyone who celebrated Father’s Day yesterday knows, there’s nothing better than sharing meaningful memories with your dad, which is exactly what Matt did. An article on Omaha.com details Billy’s baseball past, the initial diagnosis of his Alzheimer’s, the VIP experience Matt treated him too over the weekend.

Matt’s Twitter account showcased the rest.

Thanks to everyone that made today something we’ll treasure forever. We have a couple things to do tomorrow before have to head home. @HailStateBB keep grinding and believe. You’re a team of destiny. pic.twitter.com/GamW2sEJ9i

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 17, 2018

Thank you @HailStateBB for everything. You’ve given us an incredible time together. Thank you to all that have offered room/tickets for the rest of the games. Dad needs to get home back into his routine and familiar surroundings. Now go get a championship!!!!! pic.twitter.com/5Y0NNORIoo

— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 17, 2018

Happy Father’s Day!

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Father Figures: Heroes

By Mike Julianelle

“On February 2, 2011, my daughter was born. The whole thing started pretty normally about 2:30 am or so, my wife woke me up and said, ‘Honey, it is time to go,’ so we went to the hospital in a snowstorm.

That was the easy part.

When they put the belly monitor on her they noticed that the babies heart rate would drop to low whenever my wife would have a contraction. She needed emergency C-section, but the doctor could not make it due to the storm, and when he finally arrived it was rush rush rush!

Well when my daughter Emily did arrive, she had internal bleeding throughout her body, which included two grade 4 brain bleeds. We could not touch her because she would bruise and start bleeding.

They had to life-flight her to the university, where she spent 5 1/2 weeks in the NICU, which left her (you may want to sit down) deaf/blind, with hydrocephalus, a shunt, cerebral palsy, and seizures (at age 6, she needed a baclofen pump because her CP got too bad to handle without it). She is doing great today. She is happy, loves life, and everyone who meets her says that she makes their day and she is beautiful.

To pay back our little community, I became a first responder, mostly a firefighter, but I did help with EMS. Never got my certification, but that is where I found out that in the U.S. we do not have any training for first responders to deal with children with special needs.

I have made it my personal mission to teach first responders about kids with special needs.

I have taken to Emily to every EMS/Fire station in the five counties around me. I have taken her to the police and sheriff’s departments to train them, and now I have a waiting list to get trained.

I don’t know if I am the hero here, but I needed to tell the story.”

– Mike Kuyper

Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email fatherfigures@thedad.com

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