Most of us spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s with our families and friends, enjoying days off from work and creating holiday memories.

There are, however, people who have to work while we are safe in the comforts of our homes.

Their work is helping to keeping us all safe.

They are law-enforcement personnel, firefighters, emergency workers and first responders.

We just want to take a moment to say thank you to those who serve and protect us all.

We are all indebted to police, fire and emergency personnel for the high level of service they provide our community each day along with the personal sacrifices they are called upon to make during this time of year.

Police officers, especially, go to work each day, sometimes putting themselves in harm’s way, in order to keep us all safe and protected. They have chosen a profession that requires a high level of training and expertise and many of them could make much more money if they had chosen another career.

Those involved in these kinds of community service do not know what any given day will bring and they leave home in the mornings unsure of what dangers they might encounter. Something as routine as a traffic stop, or as extreme as a house fire, can turn tragic in a second for those trying to help keep us safe.

These men and women do not consider themselves to be “heroes.”

They think of themselves as simply doing their jobs.

Police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel we talk to are passionate about serving their community both during the ordinary daily routines and in rising to the challenge in the midst of violence, tragedy or even disaster.

As a community, we should show our support for these brave men and women who wear the uniform.

There are many ways to show support, not the least of which is showing respect for the work they do and the authority they must exercise when we interact with them.

Our police departments, sheriff’s office, fire departments and all other emergency workers and first responders work together to make our community a better — and more safe — place to live.

Thank you for your service.