I love taking pictures in general. There is no way around it. I love looking at pictures and associating them with memories. Working in corporate communications, I started taking random firefighting photos, thinking it would be an interesting ad/marketing campaign to complete by showing snapshots of the job. With the smartphone, it was simple enough. A peek into the world of a firefighter.What does it all mean? What makes firefighters so passionate about their job? This post is about personal reflection.
Being a firefighter was all that I ever wanted as a kid. For a brief time however, a grueling six months, I thought I was going to lose it all. I was 19 years old when I was diagnosed with clinical depression and general anxiety. It was a dark time in my life, and for some time, I couldn't even walk into the fire station without feeling sick. My anxiety would go up in ways it never had before when we had calls. It was the anxiety that forced me to recognize that I needed to take a step back. That was pretty hard. Even though my body was having thee adverse reactions, I still had enough control of myself that I knew this wasn't right. I knew that I was supposed to be a firefighter. I was determined to get it back. I kept going up to the fire station to ease myself in, and one day I was able to feel OK up there again. Another six months after I was back, I earned my Firefighter 1 certification. Knowing that the previous year I had struggled so much made getting that certification so much sweeter.
The awesomeness of this job never ceases to amaze me. That's with some of the seemingly random equipment shots. I went home from college this past weekend and had a couple calls. Wearing the equipment feels so natural. I remember how the SCBA first felt on my back when I joined at 14. I didn't know how I would ever get used to it. Or the helmet. I'm a little bit on the "whacker" side-I have stickers on my helmet recognized my EMT and FF1 certification, along with a Pittsburgh "P" that one of my friends was designing for a bunch of us a few years ago. But, on my shield, I have one of those rubber band bracelets which reads "Officer Michael Crawshaw." Michael Crawshaw was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2009. He graduated from the same high school as me, and I was one of the recipients of his scholarship my senior year. I kept in touch with the organization and got to know some of Mike's family and friends. While I always wear one Crawshaw bracelet, I couldn't really think of a better way for me to honor him. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.
My last post had to do with line of duty deaths. 2013 has been a rough year in that aspect; there were several incidents that resulted in multiple firefighters dead. A shooting in New York, a plant explosion in Texas, a wildfire in Arizona killed 19. I thought it was important to include those as well because they won't be forgotten. We fall together, we stand together.
Finally, a couple of the photos were things I have seen throughout the web that I think really embody how some of us feel about this job. It's the best thing in the world. Almost every little kid wants to be a firefighter at one time or another. Some of us actually get to live it. It's not easy but it's worth it. You have to put a lot into it. You have to push yourself. And honestly, as cheesy as it may sound, you have to believe in yourself. I'm not sure if firefighting is really anything that comes naturally to anyone. I'm going to have to think about that. You put so much into it. It makes you a better person. You're stronger for it. I thank God for every day I'm a firefighter. Best thing I ever did.
I just thought it was important to recognize how great of a job this is.
Keep fire in your life. Stay safe.
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