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This Just In...
Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
A dog, a fireman, and a kiss
By Kevin Fischer
Wednesday, Mar 26 2008, 09:19 PM
“You don’t blog enough about dogs!”
Who said that?
My wife, Jennifer.
When did she say it?
What time is it?
We all get them. I seem to get swamped with them.
I’m talking about the e-mails from friends who you just know as they’re hitting the “send” button are chuckling to themselves, “this is the most incredible story ever,” or, “Oh my God is this hilarious.”
Reminds me of my days as a broadcast news manager. Ninety-five percent of my mail and phoned-in tips, like these e-mails, never lived up to their billing.
E-mail jokes and urban legends just clutter up the inbox.
Here’s one I received recently that has been going around for a long time that you may have seen. This one, though not entirely true, is still worth a look, especially when you go, as I did, beyond the initial e-mail. Here’s the story:
She is pregnant, he had just saved her from
a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying
her out of the house into her front yard,
while he continued to fight the fire.
When he finally got done putting the fire out,
he sat down to catch his breath and rest.
A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, noticed her in the distance looking at the fireman.
He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do.
As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies and kissed him just as the photographer snapped this photograph.
Scroll down for photograph.
And people say animals are dumb
Done with the Kleenex yet?
Great story?
Great photo?
You bet.
The photo is authentic.
But how about the story?
The fire took place in Charlotte in July 1999. Snopes.com quotes a Charlotte Observer article that quotes the firefighter in the photo, Jeff Clark who was photographed by Patrick Schneider:
“We didn’t do anything (special) to save Cinnamon. When we have a house fire, we have to do a primary search. There could be people home and inside. Our first major concern is life safety. That house was full of smoke and we couldn’t see it very well. All I saw was a dog run out, and one was (already) in the backyard. I think Cinnamon got out the door herself. The dog approached me. As soon as I knelt down and took my mask off, Patrick was coming around the corner of the house and took the picture.”
Maybe the original story is true, maybe not. Clark’s reaction, however, is common, and quite commendable, a hero downplaying his actions.
I managed to find the Charlotte Observer article dated April 18, 2005 that featured a Q. and A. with then-35-year old firefighter Clark:
SWEET MOMENT WITH CINNAMON TIMELESS
JENNIFER WING ROTHACKER - Staff Writer, JEFF CLARK
Charlotte firefighter Jeff Clark and Cinnamon, a pregnant red Doberman, gained international exposure with this photograph snapped by the Observer's Patrick Schneider during a July 1999 house fire. Seen through wire services and the Internet, the picture has moved people around the world and is still a top reprint seller. Several readers recently wrote the Observer wanting an update.
Q. After that photo was taken, what kind of response did you get?
Oh my goodness. Patrick Schneider, a very good friend of mine, won a few national awards, but by no means because of me. I was the ugly one in the picture. People like the dog, especially licking somebody's face.
What was very interesting, the first couple of months, we started getting letters sent to the fire department and Patrick, who forwarded them to me, from all over the country.
One woman in England was a member of the (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and a Doberman lover who runs a rescue.
It was amazing that people saw this picture and wrote letters.
To me it wasn't any big deal, it's what we do every day. It was nothing out of the ordinary.
Q. What would people say in the letters?
A lot were "Thank you for doing what you do, thank you for your care and concern for an animal." A lot of people were surprised that we go in looking for anything that was alive. In the same fire, we brought out a snake and a parrot: neither lived.
Q. Do you have a personal copy of the photo?
Patrick got me an 8 1/2 by 11 photo. I'm not big on hanging anything, I keep everything in a file. I'm not a big display person. My wife ended up getting one framed, but it's not hung yet. My father has one hung in his house.
Q. Tell us about how the photo came to be. Apparently there are a lot of Internet rumors floating around.
We didn't do anything (special) to save Cinnamon. When we have a house fire, we have to do a primary search. There could be people home and inside. Our first major concern is life safety. That house was full of smoke and we couldn't see it very well. All I saw was a dog run out, and one was (already) in the backyard. I think Cinnamon got out the door herself. The dog approached me. As soon as I knelt down and took my mask off, Patrick was coming around the corner of the house and took the picture.
Q. Have you kept up with Cinnamon?
The owners had contacted me a couple weeks later. Cinnamon was their baby and they were ecstatic she was alive.
Q. Are you still a firefighter?
I was at Station 4 downtown, but to broaden my training, I moved to 10 on Wilkinson, which is a special operations station. They run the dive team and urban search and rescue. It's been a good move, but I miss the guys at Station 4.
My wife and I are looking at opening a doggie day care. Every day, I'm looking for that right piece of property.
Here is how the article concluded:
Her Life
Cinnamon, the Doberman featured in the picture with Clark, died in January, owner Jane Cook said, after a tumor was found in her uterus. Cinnamon was 9. "She was the smartest dog I ever had in my life," Cook said.
Cinnamon had puppies - Cook recalls she had five, all of whom were sold. The Cooks also received much public response from the Observer photograph, and have a big glossy copy of it.
So the original story that may have cluttered your inbox wasn’t totally accurate, but it’s still pretty darn good.
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