Serving others — it’s what so many members of our public safety forces do, each and every day. The latest example came when Wheeling firefighters Harry Myers, Abe Winter, Dominik Vallera, Kalen Spencer and Dawson Kemp left last weekend for Kentucky, to help residents there devastated by a massive tornado that uprooted their lives.

The firefighters spent two days near Bowling Green, Kentucky, volunterring in a search-and-rescue mission with the Bowling Green fire department. They searched about 40 homes, along with fields and wooded areas, looking for survivors, and their efforts freed up others to assist residents in need.

“Whatever they needed, we helped,” Myers told our reporter as the crew traveled back to Wheeling.

“You just got to bite the bullet and do the right thing,” he added, noting firefighters in Kentucky would “be the first in line to help us” if a wide-scale emergency happened in Wheeling.

The tornado caused “complete and utter destruction,” Myers said, but just feet from that path things were left untouched.

“Houses were on the ground. Trees were leveled. Power lines were snapped in half. I saw cars stacked on top of each other,” Myers said. “Two doors down was virtually untouched. Seeing it first hand was an eye-opening experience.

“I’ve seen storm damage before, but never anything like that. It was an extraordinary weather event. I hope it never happens again.”

The willingness of Myers, Winter, Vallera, Spencer and Kemp to help those in need should serve as a model for all of us moving forward. Their example of giving to help others is just what we all need right now.