I can't explain how lucky I am to be a volunteer firefighter. Living at my college campus has limited some of my training and responses, but that makes me appreciate being a firefighter even more. I hope that this blog will help me learn more as well. Even at school, training never ends. That is the great thing about the Internet though, I have all of these resources to keep up and keep reading and keep learning. That is what I want to do. I want to learn to be the best firefighter I could possibly be. However, my love for the job is evident in my college apartment. Among pictures of my family and friends, there are also firefighter photos from my experiences during the past seven years; some weird little Tonka fire truck I got somewhere along the line has sat on my desk all four years of college.
I had to complete an honors thesis, I could research any topic. I chose volunteer fire department consolidations. I have never enjoyed writing a paper so much, but I have also never been so proud of a piece of work. In fact, I got the chance to present it at a conference at the PA Capitol Building and it was awarded one of the "Best Papers" at another conference, prompting a publication. It is also scheduled to be published in a firefighter magazine, I cannot wait to find out when!
I had been considering writing a blog about firefighting for awhile now. When a professor listed a blog as a suggestion for a writing project, it was an easy decision. As an English major, I love writing. I have learned that I love writing about firefighting most. I had previously thought it would be difficult to find topics to write about-what do I know? I've only been involved in the fire service for seven years. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this could be the perfect opportunity to learn. Nothing beats real experience. There is no comparison. But I'm a nerd. There's no question about it. By researching the topics I want to write about, I believe that it will translate into gained knowledge.
There aren't many things I am looking forward to after college graduation. I am looking forward to be back at my fire company full time once I get settled in. If a career takes me somewhere else, I look forward to joining a volunteer department there. There is so much that I want to do as a firefighter. I spent my summer taking a basic vehicle rescue class, now I want to take more rescue classes. Early in the summer, I passed my Firefighter 1 Pro Board exam. That was a pretty proud moment. It was a reminder that becoming a firefighter is the best thing I ever did.
I want to learn. That is the purpose of this blog. I want to learn, and I hope others will as well. Ideas keep popping into my head and I hope they actually work! There is so much I want to do with firefighting. Of course, a dream job for me would be writing/research firefighting topics. No doubt about it. But there are so many classes I want to take, so many certifications. Someday, I would love to be certified as an Instructor. I'm an English major, and I could never consider teaching English. But I would give anything to feel competent enough to teach firefighting.
I think what will be important for me in the coming months is exploring my weaknesses. I wish I was a better firefighter. But I will make myself a better firefighter. You can't give up. Not many people are lucky to do what they absolutely love. I want to take advantage of it every chance I get. I'm hoping to post in this blog twice a week. If anyone has feedback or topic ideas, I would love to hear them.
Keep fire in your life. Stay safe.
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