A firefighter's purpose is to control and put out fires and respond to emergencies in the community where life, property, or environment is at risk. They need to keep up with their physical skills as well as mental. The job can be very challenging in both states. They have to be very attentive and aware of everything that's going on and they have to be brave so they can finish some of the tasks. They are required to wear their turnout gear to help protect them from harmful environments and they also have to wear SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) so that they can breath oxygen when they're surrounded by smoke. They typically work long hours and sometimes more that 24 hours at a time. They stay at the fire station when they aren't on a call where they can sleep, eat, etc. The long term outcome of being a firefighting doesn't always turn out for the best. There could be multiple situations when they run into a problem and have to breathe in some of the nasty air. Many firefighters end up with some sort of cancer because of that. The training to become a firefighter can be obtained from a fire academy or from a tech school. They typically have to reach a certain number of hours to get their volunteer, FF1, and FF2 cards. Then they have to take a written and a physical test to pass the class and again when applying for a job. A firefighter who really stood out to me was Red Adair. He worked as a firefighter mainly to fight oil fires. He also served as a 139th Bomb Disposal Squadron in WWII. There was a movie made about him called Hellfighters.
This is a picture of a firefighter fighting a forest fire. He's probably also doing some search and rescue. I chose this picture because it really puts in perspective how big of a job firefighters have and how scary and life threatening it can be.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/Protective-Service/Firefighters.htm#tab-3
http://www.biography.com/people/red-adair-9175385
I know a fire fighter and I have herd some of his unbelievable story's. I really liked the picture you put on here because it does show how scary their job is and how close they are to danger every time they go to a scene.
ReplyDeleteI truly respect these men and woman. I think that they do a job that is completely selfless. I feel that firefighters are overlooked and almost taken for granted. Just from reading callings you can see the hard life of a firefighter
ReplyDeleteI personally know some firefighters and the stories that they tell are unbelievably incredible. I have a lot of respect for firefighter/EMTs just due to the stories I have. No to mention what you actually go through.
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