“The life of the dead
is placed in the memory
of the living.” 
Marcus Tullius Cicero

Trevor Brown was a stay-at-home Dad. His wife’s job with the federal government allowed him to provide care for his three children, ages 6, 9, and 11. Trevor was also a volunteer firefighter with the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company in Loudoun County, Virginia. He was killed on Friday night when a 500-gallon propane tank under a single-family residence exploded, leveling the house and sending debris flying through the neighborhood. Ten other firefighters and two civilians were taken to the hospital with injuries sustained in the blast.

Firefighters, like other first-responders, are well aware of the dangers of their job. While they know that any call to which they respond could be their last, they do not, and cannot, dwell on this fact. Some might think that the same could be said about anyone who leaves their home, and it’s true. We just never know when our time will come, or how. Like firefighters, we cannot dwell on the possibility, and so, we become complacent.

Most of us take much for granted in our lives. We assume that, when we get up and go to work in the morning, we’ll return home safely in the evening. We assume that, when our spouse or children leave home to do grocery shopping or spend time with friends, they, too, will return home safely. For the most part, these are reasonable expectations. Sadly, life doesn’t always happen this way.

I don’t know the protocols for the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, but on Thursday evening, Trevor Brown got the call. I’m guessing he was probably at home with his family. More than likely, as he left his home to respond to the emergency call of a gas leak at a home in town, he said something along the lines of Hey, I gotta go. I’ll be back soon. We now know that’s not how the evening played out.

It pains me deeply to think of how Brown’s wife and children were notified of his death. It pains me to think about how devastating it must be for Brown’s fellow firefighters to cope with the loss of a colleague. It pains me to think of the other ten firefighters who were injured in the blast as they reflect, as they will, on the reality that they, too, could have perished that night. Incidents like this remind us all of our mortality, and of the fragility of human life.

I hope and pray that, in time, the family, friends, and colleagues of Trevor Brown can experience a transformation in their response to Trevor’s death — a transformation from deep grief to genuine gratitude. Trevor Brown will live on… in the memories of his family, friends, and colleagues. May he rest in peace.