View from the Bottom
I have wanted to be a fireman for as long as I remember, since I was young enough to realize that they actually paid people to do this. These past three years have been some of the best of my life, and some of the most difficult. I see blogs on firefighting everywhere, but none are focused on the rookie firefighter. None discuss the journey we all take when we first step foot into a fire station, all nerves and no brains.
My goal for this blog is to talk about the things that the probie worries about, “Will I screw-up my first time pumping a working fire?” “Should I really be in charge of an engine company with only two years of experience, even if it is only for a day?” etc. These are the kind of thoughts that run through me head every shift, and I suspect there are other young firefighters out there who also share my concerns.
I will let the hundreds of other fire service blogs deal with the crashed trucks, tactical errors and the fight for money and common sense legislation. My focus is what it takes to make it to the point in your career where your assurances out weight you doubts…
