PHOTOS: An oath is a promise, South Bend Fire Department Training Capt. Greg Metzger told eight recruits as they stood before their family, friends, Mayor James Mueller and, now, fellow firefighters before swearing to serve the city of South Bend and the people living in it.
It's not an oath Chief Carl Buchanon and the fire department take lightly. It's a responsibility that often takes firefighters away from families and from holidays and special occasions when crisis strikes, but it's not a choice that Buchanon said he's ever regretted.
“It’s an honor to serve the community in which you belong,” Buchanon said before a crowd of friends and family in support of the new recruits on July 19. “It’s something that you should hold near and dear to your heart. It is not for the faint.”