What does a fire fighter do?

I'm considering different career paths and firefighting sounds interesting. Can anyone explain what a fire fighter's job involves? I'm curious about both the day-to-day tasks and any cool experiences they might have.

Firefighters serve in a crucial role for community safety that goes beyond extinguishing fires. As a firefighter, your primary duties would indeed involve responding to fire emergencies, including residential and commercial properties, forests, and other areas. You might also be involved in controlled burns to prevent larger fires in certain environments.

Beyond actual firefighting, you'd be responsible for maintaining and preparing firefighting equipment like hoses, ladders, and the fire engine. Training is a regular part of the job as techniques and equipment continuously evolve. You might also spend time doing fire drills and practicing different rescue scenarios.

But firefighting isn't only about fire. Many firefighters today are cross-trained as emergency medical technicians (EMTs). As an EMT-trained firefighter, you'd likely be the first on the scene at accidents, providing critical first aid, helping with childbirth, administering CPR, and more.

In terms of "cool experiences," the job can offer moments of high adrenaline and the rewarding feeling of directly helping and saving lives. This might involve dramatic rescues from burning buildings, swift water rescues, or deliveries of babies before an ambulance can arrive. You will also interact closely with the community– for example, giving fire safety talks at schools, hosting open houses at the fire station, or even rescuing cats from trees.

There's also a bond that forms within a firehouse. Given the nature of the work and the fact that many firefighters live and work together during their shifts, firefighters often describe their colleagues as a second family.

A caveat is that firefighting can be both physically demanding and emotionally taxing. It calls for physical stamina, the ability to keep calm under pressure, and at times, the ability to handle heart-wrenching or traumatic situations, which might include informing someone of the death of a loved one. It's crucial for firefighters to have support systems in place to manage the stress of the job.

Overall, to decide if firefighting is the right path for you, you need to weigh these factors and perhaps speak to individuals currently in the profession or consider a ride-along with your local fire department to get a firsthand view of the job.