Now, that takes guts! And, muscle, hands, and heart too!

When a building is on fire, is your natural tendency to run away from it or toward it? If you were inside it, would you run out as fast as you could or would you run back in the burning building to save a coworker?

Think about your coworkers...

Would you risk your life to save them? Any one of them? Would any of them risk their lives to save you?

Well, risk his life is what Jim Baker did.

Jim is a Kansas City firefighter who was on the scene of a smoke-filled building two months ago today. He was inside, along with his captain and others, when evacuation orders were shouted from those outside. As firefighters from seven companies made their way outside, Jim noticed his captain was not among them. Jim ran back inside the smoke-filled, pitch-black building to find his captain.

Captain Joiner's airpack got snagged on something, and he was stuck. As fire was nearing him, Captain Joiner radioed for help and saw Jim Baker coming toward him. A very strong Jim Baker freed Captain Joiner and got him close enough to the exit for others to help him out of the building.

Jim risked his own life to saved another. Jim saved his captain's life that day.

Both men suffered burns but are recovering, with more healing to come.

The guts of a firefighter are unfathomable to me. But, I recognize when someone uses their muscles, hands, brains, and heart in a gut-filled manner. Saving a life: now that takes guts!

I don't know Captain Joiner, but I do know Jim Baker. I've known him his whole life, and, honestly, his behavior that day is not shocking. No one I've spoken to about this has said, "Really? Jimmy Baker did that? No way!" Most people just nod their heads and say something about what a good person Jim has always been. They are right. His family is one of my all-time favorites. I love his family and am glad to write about Jim as today's Gut Check role model.

Would I be like Jim and run in to a building to save a life? I don't know. But, I am going to work on making the trip worth it in case someone else is faced with that decision about my life.



(http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Firefighters-Recovering-from-Burns/TL4jbeDBI0ajo24MsaPEJw.cspx)