Firefighters are meant to be fearless, rough-and-tumble sorts. Adrenaline junkies who rush to the next call, to save the next life, to fight the next inferno. They are trained to respond with the help that’s needed most. Little surprise, then, that Shawn Metayer is coming back to work today.

Metayer, a Lewiston firefighter and part-time paramedic and flight nurse for LifeFlight of Maine, has completed a solemn sojourn of convalescence, in which the compassion of his friends and relatives was only equaled by severity of his injuries.

He was nearly killed last August, when he dumped his motorcycle into a roadside gully during a ride through bucolic Boothbay Harbor. The lifesaver, all of a sudden, was the one needing saving. His wife, a nurse, looked down upon him and saw the end of life flash across his eyes.

Metayer fought for his life then, just as he’s fought for it the past year, watching the world from his walker and living – remarkably – with his intestines largely outside his body. Now, Metayer finally gets his life back today, when he returns to duty with the Lewiston Fire Department.

This is the only ending. Firefighters are trained to be resilient, and Metayer embodies this noble trait. The city should be proud to have him back, as Metayer has touched many lives during his decades of service. And rushing into a burning building should be easy, compared to the trials of the past year.

The community, including hundreds of Metayer’s friends, relatives and colleagues, have earned applause also. When a hammer-wielding gang of well-wishers builds a deck for your home, and gives you a hot tub to soak your battered body, the feeling of gratitude should be easily accepted.

But like the firefighter he is, drilled to respond, Metayer has had a hard time accepting this position. “We felt really bad about being the object of charity, but it’s unbelievable how much it’s helped us,” he told the Sun Journal. “I have some making up to do.”

From our perspective, Metayer is without debt. The only return sought by his friends, relatives and community was his safe return to health. And now that he’s back, everyone is even.