Harris 1

Firefighters
Raven Harris
Mrs. Bashford
Honors English 9 Period 2
4 November 2016

The local hero I have decided to write about this week was not only one person,
but the Prescott 19. I have chosen the Prescott 19, or firefighters, because they are one of our
state's greatest heroes in 2013. These men and women risk their lives saving others in deadly
fires all around the state. I believe that local firefighters are heroes to our society because they
were “highly skilled professionals, like so many across our country do everyday, selflessly put
themselves in harm’s way to protect lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet”
(Obama 4). Firefighters have all impacted our society majorly, especially in the state of Arizona.
Our state is known for being hot, and years go on with fires being started in the woods, or in our
neighborhoods. If there were no such thing as firefighters, I believe that Arizona would not be
the state people come here to see. The forests would be burned and black, entire neighborhoods
would disappear, and many people living in this state would not have a home to live in. In the
article, it states “...And it was the deadliest wildland fire since 1933”(Yan, McLaughlin, and
Hanna 3). I believe these individuals embodied their society’s will to survive, and their will to be
extremely understanding during a fire. They need citizens to be understanding, and move as
quickly as possible, so everyone can make it out of the fire without any damage done.
Firefighters can alway tell when a fire is dangerous, and they are the ones risking their lives for
other people’s safety, and that is what I believe makes someone a hero.