All my life I wondered if heroes truly existed. On March 26, 2014 I got my answer. The city of Boston lost two of it's own during a 9 alarm fire on Boylston street. Days after the incident, my colleagues and I set out to work on a "Boston Firefighter" documentary.
Our first stop was the station where these two great men spend most of their work days. The front was flooded with flowers, post cards and gifts from people paying their respects. I had the chance to capture a little girl, as she placed her flowers down on top of the rest.
Never did I realize how normal these men are until I was fortunate enough to sit down with them and hear their stories. Not to sound ignorant, but it hit me. These guys are NOT fire proof. They have families too. They have a lot to lose.
All these photos were taken on "Day 1" of filming. We were able to visit about 7 different stations. By the end of the day I heard one phrase enough times that it stuck with me. Each one of them referred to their colleagues as "family members". It was clear that everyone lost someone that day.
They were all very welcoming and even showed us around the stations. Some were camera shy and others were excited to be in front of one. It was nice being able to see them laugh and joke with one another during such a tragic time.
I want to end this post with a quote that I feel wraps up my feelings best. Pictures are not meant to look nice. They are meant to make you feel something. I hope these images touched your soul and brought some kind of light to you. Next time you see a public servant, wave and say hi!
Very nice job Pedro! Wonderful pictures and great story to go with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the photos.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle is a firefighter in Revere, MA - so losing 2 in back bay has hit us hard.
the photos and story are touching, my sons' papi/my guy is a Boston Firefighter. Like you said, just normal guys doing an extraordinary job one day at a time and hopefully coming home to the their families at the end of each day, by the grace of God. Fortunate to have another "family" at work keeping each other safe on every shift. Thanks for your hard work and insight, Chico. :) - Jennifer P.
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