Mark Bezos: A life lesson from a volunteer firefighter

Back in New York, I am the head of development for a nonprofit called Robin Hood. When I'm not fighting poverty, I'm fighting fires as the assistant captain of a volunteer fire company. Now, in our town, where the volunteers supplement a highly skilled career staff, you have to get to the fire scene pretty early to get in on any action. I remember my first fire. I was the second volunteer on the scene, so there was a pretty good chance I was going to get in. But still, it was a real footrace against the other volunteers to get to the captain in charge to find out what our assignments would be. When I found the captain, he was having a very engaging conversation with the homeowner, who was surely having one of the worst days of her life. Here it was, the middle of the night. She was standing outside in the pouring rain, under an umbrella, in her pajamas, barefoot, while her house was in flames. The other volunteer who had arrived just before me— let's call him Lex Luthor— Got to the captain first and was asked to go inside And saved the homeowner's dog.

The dog!

Oh, I was stunned with jealousy. Here was some lawyer or money manager who for the rest of his life gets to tell people that he went into a burning building to save a living creature, just because he beat me by 5 seconds. Well, I was next. The captain waved me over, said, Bezos, I need you to go into the house. I need you to go upstairs past the fire, and I need you to get this woman a pair of shoes.

I swear.

So, not exactly what I was hoping for, but off I went. Up the stairs, down the hall, past the real firefighters who were pretty much done putting out the fire at this point, into the master bedroom to get a pair of shoes. Now, I know what you're thinking, but I'm no hero. I carried my payload back downstairs where I met my nemesis and the precious dog by the front door. We took our treasures outside to the homeowner where, not surprisingly, his received much more attention than did mine. A few weeks later, the department received a letter from the homeowner thanking us for the valiant effort displayed in saving her home. The act of kindness She noted above all others, someone had even gotten her a pair of shoes. You know, in both my vocation at Robin Hood and my avocation as a volunteer firefighter, I am witness to acts of generosity and kindness on a monumental scale, but I'm also witness to acts of grace and courage on an individual basis. And you know what I've learned? They all matter. So as I look around this room at people who either have achieved or are on their way to achieving remarkable levels of success, I would offer this reminder: don't wait. Don't wait till you make your first million to make a difference in somebody's life. If you have something to give, give it now. Serve food at a soup kitchen, clean up a neighborhood park, be a mentor. Not every day is going to offer us a chance to save somebody's life, but every day offers us an opportunity to affect one. So get in the game. Save the shoes. Thank you.

Hi, hi. Come back. Come here. Thank you.

Somewhere in America, there's a doctor who can peer into the future. There's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. And because the whole hospital's working together, there's a family who can breathe easy right now. Somewhere in America, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest healthcare questions. And the over 60,000 people of Siemens are ready to do it again.

Siemens. Answers.