Popular lore is rife with images of firefighters sitting in front of the station, holding forth at length on issues great and small, or perfecting their chili recipes or tossing horseshoes on a spring afternoon.

Deep down, though, we realize the reality is different. It's a job that requires more and more sophisticated training, which means more drills, more practice and more planning. And it is a job that week after week, month after month, requires the men and women who choose the profession to spend many days and nights away from their families.

And too seldom we realize, often when fire has touched us or someone close to us, that firefighting can be extremely dangerous. These are people who choose to risk their lives to save ours, and our property.

Saturday night, the Durham Fire Department helped to remind us of how much we owe firefighters, honoring them at an annual awards ceremony at the American Tobacco Historic District.

Fire Technician Johnny Justice can tell you it's a dangerous job. Justice was fighting a fast-moving brush fire when an out-of-control hose struck him in the head, sending him to the hospital with lacerations and head trauma. He received the department's Purple Heart Award.

The man rescued from a house fire by Fire Technician Mitchell Morkunas and Firefighter Matt Abramson can tell you what lifesavers firefighters can be. Morkunas and Abramson crawled through a window into a house where the roof had collapsed, trapping the man inside. Trained to grope through smoke and fire, they found the man, pulled him from the house and administered first aid until an ambulance arrived. They were honored with the Medal of Valor.

Reminded of those, and the many other instances of bravery and commitment for which firefighters were honored, we probably all could agree with Councilman Mike Woodard.

"I rest a little easier at night," Woodward said in the keynote address, "knowing that you're nearby."