Two firefighters answer final call in Pennsylvania

Every time a firefighter answers a call, it could be the final alarm. It happens about 100 times a year in the United States -- firefighters die in the line of duty.
Sunday it happened in nearby Western Pennsylvania. Two firefighters died, not by smoke or fire or heat, but by water. They drowned in Slippery Rock Creek in McConnells Mill Park while trying to retrieve the body of a kayaker from rain-swollen waters.
The fallen: The names of Anthony Murdick and Scott Wilson, both 25, both of Butler and both members of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Department will be added to the honor roll of firefighters who gave their lives in service to their fellow men.
It was a day of tragedy. When Murdick and Wilson entered the water Sunday evening, another young man, Neil Balcer, 23, a Slippery Rock University student, was already dead.
His kayak had overturned about two hours earlier and become lodged under a log.
Murdick and Wilson, who were trained in water rescue, entered the creek tethered to a line. Their job, as night was falling was to retrieve Balcer's body. But something -- it is still unclear just what -- went terribly wrong. The two young firefighters were swept off their feet. Their lines apparently became tangled. The strong current made it impossible for them to be brought ashore in time.
Tribute: Flags are flying at half-staff in Lawrence County in tribute to two brave men who were doing a job that very few dare to try.
At week's end, they will be laid to rest.
Fellow firefighters will come from near and far in a ritual that is re-enacted with only minor variations throughout the year. When one firefighter dies, others gather in a final display of solidarity.
The deaths of firefighters Murdick and Wilson, while not typical of firefighter fatalities, only serve to accentuate the dangers inherent in the work they do. Whether entering a burning building or a raging river, it only takes one misstep for a mission of mercy to become a tragedy.
A lot of tears will be shed for two young men who answered the call Sunday to McConnells Mill. A lot of questions will be asked about what happened -- and why. Inevitably, there will be some second-guessing.
But none of that will change what happened. And something else will not change. The next time a call for help goes out, other men like Murdick and Wilson will not hesitate to answer it. Because that is what they do, by training and by inclination. They put others before themselves.
That is their legacy, their true lasting memorial.