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Was being a firefighter a long-term goal that you worked towards, or did you stumble into it, or…?
It fit with my love of adventure, but for quite a while it was on a volunteer basis, so it was also kind of a hobby. From there I’ve realized it’s a good career.
Congrats on making a big jump from wildland to the structure side after so many years.
Not sure where you are at location wise, but how was your probation with having that much life experience behind you?
Excellent question. It was a little challenging in that people assumed I knew nothing and I assumed I knew more than I did. It all worked out well in the end though, partly because I’m happy to be a grunt on the end of a hose again.
how much fire have you fought, and how hot does it feel inside the suit while fighting fire?
I’ve been a wildland firefighter for twenty seven years, and an urban firefighter now for about 1 year. Both can get hot to the point of discomfort, but it’s better than the alternative. The wildland clothing is designed to protect you from radiant heat while allowing body heat to escape, and the structural gear to basically encapsulate you, trapping in your body heat, but keeping out the hot gasses and radiant heat around you.
A big wildfire will put out the equivalent of 20000 single bar radiators per meter. A compartment fire at the point of flashover can be up to 600 degrees C.
You don’t really want to be in either of those situations, even with the right clothing.
Is it fun or annoying when people bring their kids into the station to see the trucks?
Not if it’s on an open day. Otherwise the station is often locked up.
The fascination kids have with fire trucks is actually quite magical. They go into a kind of overload if you let them hold a hose and spray some water.
Im guessing *.ca means Canada. If so, is the plan to still let everything keep burning?
