The Call That Changed My Life
I was 18 Years Old, brand new on Groveland Fire Department with only a few months of experience, I recently graduated High School, I recount a call that has forever changed who I was and made me into who I aspire to be. What you’re about to read will take you not only through my eyes, but my choices, my compassion & commitment to helping others, and the remorse that follows first responders with tragic events that the public rarely sees, knowing that despite you trying everything you could it never being enough, and thinking to yourself if you had only tried that instead maybe they would still be with us. I would like to dedicate my story to the challenges all first responders face, every single day.
On August, 27th, It was 6AM I just arrived at the fire station to get started on the daily tasks that needed to get completed that morning. I arrived just before the morning crew did so I found an opportunity to get on their good side, I immediately begun prioritizing and eliminating tasks that needed to be completed that morning. Everything from chores such as cleaning the floors and bathrooms to Inspecting the trucks for missing and …show more content…
The tones dropped out of nowhere, "Groveland Fire, you're on the air for an MVA northbound on i-75 and grange hall". My heart dropped and suddenly started racing, my accelerated heart kept beating faster and faster, my palms soon became sweaty. I immediately stood up, as the rest of the crew grabbed their gear and put it on the truck. I grabbed my bunker gear and quickly put it on, as I mumbled to myself, "just like in training, you got this", trying to calm myself down as an eager new firefighter wanting to be the knight in shining armor. I opened the cab door and climbed into Fire Engine 1, the bay doors open and we're off, engine one enroute, lights and sirens blazing through traffic, the feeling was exhilarating, the rush, the
I was 18 Years Old, brand new on Groveland Fire Department with only a few months of experience, I recently graduated High School, I recount a call that has forever changed who I was and made me into who I aspire to be. What you’re about to read will take you not only through my eyes, but my choices, my compassion & commitment to helping others, and the remorse that follows first responders with tragic events that the public rarely sees, knowing that despite you trying everything you could it never being enough, and thinking to yourself if you had only tried that instead maybe they would still be with us. I would like to dedicate my story to the challenges all first responders face, every single day.
On August, 27th, It was 6AM I just arrived at the fire station to get started on the daily tasks that needed to get completed that morning. I arrived just before the morning crew did so I found an opportunity to get on their good side, I immediately begun prioritizing and eliminating tasks that needed to be completed that morning. Everything from chores such as cleaning the floors and bathrooms to Inspecting the trucks for missing and …show more content…
The tones dropped out of nowhere, "Groveland Fire, you're on the air for an MVA northbound on i-75 and grange hall". My heart dropped and suddenly started racing, my accelerated heart kept beating faster and faster, my palms soon became sweaty. I immediately stood up, as the rest of the crew grabbed their gear and put it on the truck. I grabbed my bunker gear and quickly put it on, as I mumbled to myself, "just like in training, you got this", trying to calm myself down as an eager new firefighter wanting to be the knight in shining armor. I opened the cab door and climbed into Fire Engine 1, the bay doors open and we're off, engine one enroute, lights and sirens blazing through traffic, the feeling was exhilarating, the rush, the