The Firefighter’s Life

Firefighters just sit around, playing games, eating, sleeping and watching TV, and once in a while they are called out to hose down a fire here and there...right? If you said “yes,” you are not alone, as there are a number of folks out there who have no idea what it truly takes to be a firefighter: all the skills, the qualities and intelligence required to perform the many varied duties of a firefighter.

A Firefighter Must Possess A Special Disposition

Firefighters must possess the ability to maintain their composure while multi-tasking, thinking on their feet and acting quickly in the face of life and death emergencies. They must be able to organize a great deal of information in a short period of time under extreme mental, physical and psychological conditions. Firefighters must be good public speakers, comfortable interacting with people of all ages, races and economic levels and do so in various conditions and settings. Firefighting is a physical job, which can be extremely demanding. The aerobic and anaerobic capacities as well as the strength required for the job should not be underestimated. Working 24 or 48 hour shifts and spending at least 1/3 of their days and nights away from home can strain relationships of firefighters, who, unless their spouses are understanding and supportive, suffer a high incidence of failed marriages.

Multitasking Required

The job is not always glamorous, as there are many other tasks and assignments that firefighters perform more frequently than fighting fires. Once a fire is knocked down it can quickly lose its appeal for those who are not fully aware of the job duties and actual tasks that need to be performed in order to protect property once the life safety hazards are mitigated. Firefighters must also set aside time for further training so that they can practice and thoroughly understand firefighting procedures, operational techniques and first aid methods. There are no other jobs that require a wider range of duties.

Dealing With The Public

Anger in our society seems to be occurring more frequently and with more intensity. At times it seems anger is everywhere—on the highways, in the workplace, at sporting events (even youth games!) and, most unfortunately, at home. As public figures, fire officers are vulnerable to attack by angry citizens all the time, some of which even lead to violence. They must know how to positively deal with all types of situations in a professional manner.

Health Risks

Firefighters take risks every day. Risks are inherent to the job. They’re necessary. Although today’s firefighters are protected by an impressive array of modern, high-tech equipment and life-saving tools, the rate of firefighter “on the job” fatalities is alarming. The number one killer of firefighters is not fire …nor building collapse …nor explosions. It’s actually heart attack. And, evidence is mounting that a great contributor to firefighter strokes, heart attacks and heart disease comes from their acute and long-term exposure to carbon monoxide.

So, if you found yourself among the poorly informed people who sorely underestimated the unique life of a firefighter, you will hopefully come away from reading this article a little better informed. The topics contained here only represent a small segment of what it’s really like to be a firefighter. Firefighters are truly special people to whom we all owe a huge debt of gratitude.