It's easy to forget that the job of a first responder can get ugly and dangerous and it can happen in split seconds. Each of us may have a different view of firefighters and the job that they are tasked with every time they get the call.

I often think of the courageous members of the FDNY pushing up the stairs of the World Trade Center on 9/11 helping so many innocent civilians escape with their lives. As we know, many of those courageous heroes perished in those same stairwells as the towers came down on top of them.

Firefighters save kids from burning houses, they rescue animals trapped in drains and trees. And speaking as a former judge at the FMBA annual fundraising benefit, they've got some mean cooks among their ranks.

What many don't realize is the toll that the job can take on the mental health of a person dealing with death and destruction on a regular basis. Imagine coming upon a car wreck and having to deal with the carnage that may involve children, parents, people who moments before were just heading home in traffic. The emotional toll that firefights and EMTs have to endure, not just seeing what they see, but diving in and making every effort to free trapped motorists and homeowners sometimes successfully and sometimes not.

There's a new law that is making it's way through the legislature that would establish a support line in partnership with Rutgers to be available for Firefighters and EMT's 24/7. The real champion of this effort is the head of the Firefighters Union, my friend Eddie Donnelly. He joined me on the show Thursday morning to discuss the effort and thanked me and our station for our continued support for our communities first responders.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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