“We got one.” Those words rang in Frank Maher’s ears as his truck pulled out of the fire station. The thick, black smoke could be seen from the instant they pulled out of the station. His group, consisting of 3 firefighters instead of the usual 4, was going to be the first at the scene, where someone had reported a fire at an apartment complex.
Having served as a firefighter for 34 years, Frank never stopped wanting to make a difference. Growing up, he had always admired firefighters, and learned much from his uncle, who was a firefighter in New York. He was also very determined to help people. To him, firefighting was a way to make one of the worst days of people’s lives just a little bit better. It was this mentality that led him to volunteer for the Houston Fire Department at just 18 years old. He wanted to be part of the solution to people’s problems. In all his time as …show more content…
Being a religious man, he always said a prayer before going out to help. “Go up, see if you can get inside,” he heard his chief say as he jumped out of the truck. When Frank was told that someone might still be inside the building, his heart began to pound. Praying that everyone would make it out safely, he sprinted up the stairs. Once he and his fellow firefighter reached the 3rd floor of the apartment building, he shouted, “You go left, I’ll go right.” Years of training combined with experience took over, as they entered the Bombarded by smoke and intense heat, he continued his search of the floor. “Hey captain, I found a lady,” the other firefighter called out. Frank and his partner helped carry the lady out of the apartment and to safety. They performed CPR on the woman, and sent her to the hospital. Then, they fearlessly re-entered the apartment. Despite the lack of a good water supply, they put out the fire with the help of the arriving
Having served as a firefighter for 34 years, Frank never stopped wanting to make a difference. Growing up, he had always admired firefighters, and learned much from his uncle, who was a firefighter in New York. He was also very determined to help people. To him, firefighting was a way to make one of the worst days of people’s lives just a little bit better. It was this mentality that led him to volunteer for the Houston Fire Department at just 18 years old. He wanted to be part of the solution to people’s problems. In all his time as …show more content…
Being a religious man, he always said a prayer before going out to help. “Go up, see if you can get inside,” he heard his chief say as he jumped out of the truck. When Frank was told that someone might still be inside the building, his heart began to pound. Praying that everyone would make it out safely, he sprinted up the stairs. Once he and his fellow firefighter reached the 3rd floor of the apartment building, he shouted, “You go left, I’ll go right.” Years of training combined with experience took over, as they entered the Bombarded by smoke and intense heat, he continued his search of the floor. “Hey captain, I found a lady,” the other firefighter called out. Frank and his partner helped carry the lady out of the apartment and to safety. They performed CPR on the woman, and sent her to the hospital. Then, they fearlessly re-entered the apartment. Despite the lack of a good water supply, they put out the fire with the help of the arriving