In The Firefighter

When we are little kids we come to learn about firefighters and the generics of their job. They respond in big fire trucks, help rescue cats from trees, and put out fires with water. Little do we really know when we are young what these men and woman have to actually experience. As we get older we get to actually see what firefighters do, we may even see them put out the fires from a distance. But as we watch from a distance, are you able to tell from one firefighter to the next what kind of experience they have? Its really not that hard if you take a closer look.

We all know that firefighters wear special protective clothing, commonly referred to as turnout or bunker gear, to help protect themselves from the many elements of a fire. In …show more content…
He is someone who comes into the fire service for one of a number of reasons. This firefighter is, though trained in school, has no real experience. The clean undamaged gear means he has no stories, no scars, or haunting memories of calls of the past. This firefighter shows he has the ambition and drive to do the job, but with this appearance comes the inexperience of what this job really means. A firefighter with new gear means he does not have the “I've been worked til I’ve been broken” mentality. A new geared firefighter is one who hopes to be able to stay alive and have the ability to have stories and the gear to prove it. To the veteran firefighters, a new guy with new gear means they have to not only look out for their own life but also the life of the new person probie as well. The new geared firefighter means they will more than likely hesitate on the first call. They will also get what we call in the fire service, tunnel vision, only focused on one thing instead of looking at the bigger picture.

In the second picture, you see a firefighter with the bare essentials to his safety gear while fighting a fire. This firefighter appears to have just came out of a fire. Taking a closer look, you see his company number leather patch riveted on the front side of his helmet which looks to be smoke stained, along with his fire identification number just below that. His helmet shows …show more content…
This firefighter who has this set of gear looks at his stuff and is proud that it is dirty. This firefighter who looks at his dirty gear knows that it has done its job protecting him while allowing him to do his job protecting life and property. Being a firefighter, he is thankful that every time he puts it on, he knows that it will protect him. The old gear you think needs to be washed means he has memories of fires past and, how without the gear he may not be here today to put it on again to fight another fire or to save the life of a mother from the mangled wreckage of a car. The dirty gear means memories both good and bad. Dirty worn looking fire gear means that he has the experience and knowledge. Ever faded spot, every torn stitch, and every burn hole tells a story that he will stay with the firefighter until he hangs his gear up for the final time. The gear shows a firefighter who has put his life on the line time after time to help a fellow person who is in need. The worn gear shows a firefighter who has been beaten on, knocked down, and worked hard but continues to do the job he loves. The dirtier the gear the more experience he has. Dirty gear goes farther than than physical appearance, worn dirty gear shows psychological breakdown, the calls that turned out bad that