WHAT FIREFIGHTERS KNOW

Their motto is prosaic and unsentimental: “We’re There When You Need Us.” And yet, to hear almost any of the 4,500 sworn members of the nation’s third-largest municipal fire department describe their job is to understand just how much weight that promise carries. One minute, it can mean responding to a call about an overdose or a cat in a tree — yes, that’s still an actual thing — and the next it can mean extracting a toddler from a flame-engulfed bedroom minutes before the ceiling caves in. In all, the department handles more than half a million emergencies each year, and no matter the nature of the run, the city’s firefighters express pride in being the first ones in and the last ones out.

The 15 Chicago firefighters who spoke to us anonymously for this story — men and women, both active and retired — did not hold back in conveying the emotional and physical toll that their work can take. Posttraumatic stress disorder, respiratory illnesses, chronic pain: These are basically considered part of the job, along with gallows humor and busting chops. But these firefighters also talked at length about the extraordinary camaraderie and loyalty that underpin their work, as well as an intense sense of duty to the city they serve — a city that was, lest we forget, nearly obliterated by fire.

Here, in their own words, are these firefighters’ observations, impressions, and stories.

I. “Everyone Loves the Heroes.”

When I was a kid, there was nothing cooler than seeing those guys with soot-covered faces. I was like, Man, that’s what I want to do.

We’re not like the cops. They do their time and they’re gone. Our guys love the job. They stay on till their mandatory retirement age of 63.

Pride might be one of the deadliest sins, but it’s helpful on this job.

We’re the only job where we come to your house, break all your windows, and throw thousands of gallons of water