Why I Keep Prayer Under My Helmet

I just added this new “Hail Mary…” sticker under the brim of my helmet, right next to the medals of Saint Florian and Saint Michael, tucked against a Saint Benedict crucifix—all carefully glued in place. Most days, I barely notice them. But every time I reach for my lid on the way to a call, they’re there. A quiet reminder: I’m not riding in alone. A gentle reminder to take a few seconds to pray.

As Catholic firefighters, we train for the worst. We memorize addresses, protocols, radio signals, and routes. But beneath all that preparation—there’s still the unknown. The things we can’t control. The chaos waiting on the other end of the tones.

That’s why I keep prayer close. And I mean physically close—under my helmet. These aren’t decorations. They’re anchors.

I don’t always have time for a Rosary. Honestly, sometimes I don’t even have time for a full sentence. But en route to a call, when the engine is humming and the lights are bouncing off houses, I say something simple:

“God, guide our hands.”
“Jesus, be with us.”
“Hail Mary… pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Sometimes it’s all I can manage. But it’s always enough.

That moment—brief as it is—centers me. It reminds me that I’m not just riding into smoke and trauma with tools and training. I’m riding in with grace. I’m riding in with God. And I’m praying not just for me, but for the guy across from me on the rig. For the driver. For the kid I might carry out of a wrecked car. For the mother crying on the lawn.

Firefighting will harden you if you let it. It’ll numb you. And that helmet can become a kind of armor—not just against heat and debris, but against vulnerability, against mercy. That’s why I plant prayer right there under the brim. So I don’t forget who I am. So I don’t forget whose I am.

The job is loud. Prayer doesn’t have to be.

If you’re a Catholic firefighter and you’re not praying on the way to your calls, I’m not here to guilt you. But I’ll say this: give it a try. Tuck something meaningful under your brim. Whisper something small before you walk into the unknown. You’d be surprised how much stronger you feel when you know Heaven is riding with you.

I had these stickers made to hand out, not to sell if you want one email me and Ill send you one for exactly zero dollars saintflorianbatt@gmail.com

Pro Dio et Populo – For God and the People