Well for me I have loved this "business" since i was a youngster. I live a block away from the station so I can rember when the siren went off i'd rush over to the window and watch all the men rush over to the station jump on the trucks and head out!
I was always captivated how when the siren goes off people come from where ever and drop everything to help in most cases people we dont even know!
I have always had this saying "that the you don't pick the job the job picks you!" We are a different breed of people we care when others could careless! It's not always easy but that's why I love it.
Well, when I just started out I loved the rush I got hearing the tone go off. But as I went to more calls I realized that I really loved helping people and that the community had given so much to me that this was a great way to give back. When I went on my first few calls the people that we were helping were total strangers to me, but it was really touching when a few calls were to go out and help people I knew. I remember the first time I went to a call like that, it was a girl from my school and she had crashed her car, although it was i minor crash she was beside herself. I remember getting out of my car and putting on my gear and walking over to the car to this girl who was surrounded by people she didn't know, when she saw me coming over she ran up and gave me a hug and told me how thankful she was that I was there. That was the most touching moment ever and reminded me that was the reason why I got into it.
Because of the fact that the United States took a chance on a snot nose 7 year old from another country, and I still take this oath personally.
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
I love the job because I love to help others in their time of need. TO be there to lend a hand in anyway to help a person of family who has lost everything near and dear to them. I have always been drawn to the firefighters and being a little girl I thought that it was something I knew I would do as i got older. I have worked in many of the aspects of the Firefighting and emergency response jobs. I love what I do. I even married a fireman.
I have seen the relationships that have been built in this brotherhood, it is unlike any other. You are a family and stay with each other thru the thick and thin. no one gets left behind..
my first experience with any type of firefighting was in 3rd grade when we visited the fire dept. that was close to my school. I was the kid who took an instant spark to everything i voulteered to put on what i thought of as "fireman clothes" at the time but now know as turnout gear and breathed through an air pack. from that point on i was fascinated with firefighting. Now im 15 and my local VFD has a junior program and I'm now waiting to graduate high school to start trainning for my career as a firefighter i already work as hard as i can on the vfd its just great to have a juniour program to be on. i guess I personally love it cause i expericned it growing up and just found this spark inside me for it
I wanted to be a fireman to pick up hot chicks..Just kidding(not really)
it's not a job, it's an adventure. Besides firefighting runs in the family three generations.
i used to watch the fire trucks as a kid and always imagined being one of they men in the truck on my way to a fire or a mva, and that just stuck in my head, i used to go to the fire museum(teaches about fire safety and behaviour and also looked at the way fire fighting was done in the past with all the old gear) and i loved it so i went for it and now i am one of the men in the truck and although ive been doing it for years now every time that siren goes off i still feel like that kid. its just me.
As I like to tell my wife (and anyone else that will listen) If I had known how satisfying and fun the fire service was when I was a kid I dont think I would have ended up joining the CAF when I got out of school. There is as much esprit de Corps in the smallest VFD as there was in my my recce platoon in the Airborne. I always feel kind of silly when I talk to poeple that are not fire fighters about the bond we all have. I like to say taht I have brothers in every towm and city around the world I just havent met them all yet. As an example about 4 years ago I was making my 1st run up into northern BC after being out of work for almost 8 months as I was passing thru this small towm my clutch let go in the towns main intersection. After getting the company to arrange for towing and a new clutch I started wondering around town and ended up at the Firehall. One thing led to another and I ended up haveing coffee with some of the guys and the story of me being stranded in town for a few days with about $10 in my pocket I was offered the use of the bunkroom rec room and kitchen for as long as I was there.Thats Brotherhood for you. I ended up there for 2 very enjoyable days. got to practice with the crews and yap about hunting and fishing in the area.
As I like to tell my wife (and anyone else that will listen) If I had known how satisfying and fun the fire service was when I was a kid I dont think I would have ended up joining the CAF when I got out of school. There is as much esprit de Corps in the smallest VFD as there was in my my recce platoon in the Airborne. I always feel kind of silly when I talk to poeple that are not fire fighters about the bond we all have. I like to say taht I have brothers in every towm and city around the world I just havent met them all yet. As an example about 4 years ago I was making my 1st run up into northern BC after being out of work for almost 8 months as I was passing thru this small towm my clutch let go in the towns main intersection. After getting the company to arrange for towing and a new clutch I started wondering around town and ended up at the Firehall. One thing led to another and I ended up haveing coffee with some of the guys and the story of me being stranded in town for a few days with about $10 in my pocket I was offered the use of the bunkroom rec room and kitchen for as long as I was there.Thats Brotherhood for you. I ended up there for 2 very enjoyable days. got to practice with the crews and yap about hunting and fishing in the area.