Kudos to Professional Heroes

A few days ago, in the afternoon, the throbbing hum of helicopters alerted me of danger in the nearby hills where I hike. Last time I heard a chopper buzz over the canyons, its pilots were guiding from above an ambulance to a mountain-bike rider who had fallen and broken her collar bone. This time, a column of grey smoke rose from behind the nearest crest. A fire had started. Minutes later, the column spread into a thick wall of smoke and dust. It charged in slow-mo over the hill. Four water-dropping helos kept going right in, dipping as low as they could to release their loads, and making way for the next one. More than 300 firefighters rushed to the scene. I couldn't believe how quickly these professionals controlled the blaze. By the evening, they had contained a fire that could have engulfed tens of area homes and hundreds acres of wilderness. In the end, more than 50 acres burnt, no homes suffered damages, and everyone was safe. So to the many L.A. and Orange County firefighters who took great risks to keep everyone safe: THANK YOU! You're heroes.