I was in the emergency services pre 9-11. To those of you that have joined post 9-11, did it influence your choice? Did you see the brave men and women that day and think, I can do that? Is it what you expected? Everyday on the job I remember that day and for good reason. This is a service where us officers and hopefully all the fire service, wants everyone to go home safe. Days like that and in Charelston most recently, happen though. This is something that we don't discuss on a regular basis. Are you ready for a day like that? Will you make the same choice as those brave 343? What are thoughts and feelings on this? How many of you have that "sealed letter" in your file at the station?

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9-11 helped me make my choice that i wanted to be a firefighter. i think im ready i dont have a wife are any kids so i dont have a sealed letter in the file at the station. i would make the same choice as the brave 343. im here to help others in need
i knew before 9-11 i wanted to be an emt/ff. but after seeing those brave men and women running in while every one else was running out. defenitely made an impact and through me farther and pushed me more towards wanting to work in this field
At the time I was a senior in high school and I was dating a girl who was a ff and she wanted me to join he dept but I wasn't sure yet and still planned on a 4 yr college and planned on becoming a archeologist, so yes it did make a big influence.
i had just started my future as an emt/firefighter and was actually in my emt class when it happened all i could remember thinking was that i wished i had started my training and classes sooner! My family has a long history of service as firefighters,emt's,and dispatchers. I have a family a husband and three small children. If for some reason i am lost to them because of what i choose to spend my life doing then at least i know that they will have had a mother who has given all she could for what she believed in. Yes i have a letter though it is not at the station!Every situation is as different as the choices we will all have to make when it gets to that point. But i would rather die for something i believe in then for nothing at all!!!
My fire-rescue and EMS careers started long before 9/11/01 or 6/18/07. I was actually working my heavy rescue on 9/11/01. I knew people who died in both events, so they were both very personal for me. Other than "Never forget", I didn't change much about what I did or why I did it after the fact. See my blog I didn't do anything special for 9/11, and here's why for more of my thoughs on this.

One of the things I'm most proud of is that my son - who had never held a full-time job -became very motivated. After 9/11, he joined the United States Marine Corps and completed Officer Candidate School. He was a member of the first officer class the Marines graduated after 9/11. That class, among other things, had to run the obstacle course in 17-degree weather. For those of you who are not familiar with that obstacle course, it involves swimming through an obstacle course called the "Quigley" in full combat gear including a kevlar helmet and wearing a pack and a rifle. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Fqp_Rb...

http://ozarksnow.gannettonline.com/gns/marine/editart/part2-mainbar...
Here's what the Quigley is like, without the ice floating in the water;

The Marine general who gave the commissioning ceremony speech told the families and friends that there were three things we would never be able to doubt about our Marines...their patriotism, their toughness, and their courage. The general was right.
When 911 happened i was a freshmen in high school. I wanted to be a firefighter before the event but seeing that just made me want to become one even more. Im not going to say what i would do if i was faced with that kind of choice. because nobody really knows what they would do. But it is those kinds of choices that really let you know if this line of duty is for you or not. I hope that i would make the right choice being a Lt. on my vol. department and having younger newer firefighters looking up to me.
It did for me, Only I didn't know which route I was going til the fire/rescue/EMS service, I tried being a corrections officer and that wasn't fulfilling enough, or made me feel like I make a difference. This field sure does.
In a nutshell, no. I waited until I got both of my sons out the door and enrolled in a good college, and then I joined up. But I had the desire to get back behind a hose since I fought my first fire way back when.

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