Following a family emergency in December, I had the opportunity to meet with the East Lansing Fire Department firefighters to personally thank them for their service.

At 3 a.m. on Christmas morning, in a moment of real fear for our family, the firefights and EMS professionals showed up calm, focused, and fully present. Their care made a difference that lasted well beyond that morning, including six days of hospital treatment for my mother. Public safety is not abstract. It is people making critical decisions in unpredictable, high stress situations and responding with professionalism and humanity.

A few weeks after I thanked the firefighters for their service, I had the opportunity to attend the ELFD swearing-in ceremony to welcome the newest firefighters to the department — showing up for them on an important day in their lives in the same way they showed up for my family when we needed them.