It’s been a tough month for volunteer firefighters.

First there was the nasty collapse of a second-story of a burning townhouse in Parkside. Two young volunteers were trapped inside.

Both Dan Brees and Chase Frost suffered serious burns.

Brees has been released from the hospital; Frost, who suffered burns on 50 percent of his body, remains hospitalized.

Now, a little more than a month later, it has happened again.

Wednesday night volunteers in Sharon Hill were attacking what appeared to be a routine garage fire.

Then, without warning, it became anything but routine.
A wall collapsed, trapping several young volunteers.

Three volunteer firefighters and two Collingdale police officers were trapped. The firemen were briefly trapped in the rubble.

Most received minor injuries.

Mike Reagan, 19, wasn’t as lucky. He is in critical condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

Much is being made these days of the lack of volunteers, that people simply are not stepping forward the way previous generations did.
That is certainly true when it comes to volunteer firefighters. Several local companies actually are engaged in merger talks, in part because they simply no longer have the numbers to staff their own fire house.

That’s why it is interesting to note the ages of the volunteers who were injured in Sharon Hill. They share something in common with their "brothers" in Parkside.

They are young. Very young.
Reagan is 19. Chris Miller is 21; Joe Tesauro just 23.

We owe them a debt of gratitude.

They are doing something more and more of us are not willing to do.
They put their life on the line for our comfort and security.

We should all take the time to remember just how valuable these volunteers are.