Retired Fire Fighters of Washington

ST. FLORIAN, THE PATRON SAINT OF FIREFIGHTERS

The man who would become St. Florian was a third century officer in the Roman Army, stationed in what is now Austria. He was the military administrator of the Austrian town of Noricum, and a closet Christian.

It is said that he once stopped a town from burning by throwing a single bucket of water on the blaze. (OK, so this might be a slight exaggeration, but you know how events improve when you're sitting around the beanery telling old war stories.)

In 304 A.D., he was ordered to execute a group of Christians during the persecutions of Diocletian, but he refused and admitted that he was a Christian.

For violating the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the time, Florian was scourged (flogged almost to death), flayed (skinned alive), had a stone tied around his neck and was thrown into a river! (Evidently, they really, really wanted him dead.) His body was retrieved by some Christians and he was buried at an Augustinian monastery near Lorch. His remains were moved to Rome in 1138 A.D.

Appropriately enough, St. Florian isn't only the patron saint of firefighters. He is also the patron saint of brewers and barrel-makers! Austria, Poland, chimney sweeps, drowning victims and soap-boilers also claim him as their patron.

The memorial day for St. Florian is celebrated each May 4th. Next May 4th, consider taking a firefighter to the local brewer to raise a toast to our patron.