MY QUEST TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER

MY QUEST TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER
2 days ago
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Posted in Articles, Kidney Patients
By Matthew Purvis

Most people wouldn’t associate the words “firefighter” with “dialysis patient,” but I’m hoping to do my small part to change that line of thinking.

As I sit down and write this piece, I’m fresh off a six-mile bike ride home from the Bellview Fire House, Station 1, here in Pensacola, Fla. I try to commute on my bike as often as possible, for two main reasons: first, I simply love cycling; second, I want to maintain the highest fitness level possible because I want to be a professional firefighter.

Perhaps, like many guys, for most of my life I have wanted to be a firefighter, but my initial return to dialysis a few years ago (after a transplanted kidney finally failed) put me into a depression that I only recently climbed out of.

But climb out of it, I did. A key component of beating depression was my decision to not let anything stand in the way of my goals, and since my goal was to be a fire fighter, I went down to the local fire station and asked what I could do to be a volunteer.

When they told me that to be a volunteer, at a minimum I needed to become a certified First Responder, I immediately found out where and when I could take the course and eagerly attained the certification.

Officially, a First Responder has completed a course and received certification in providing pre-hospital care for medical emergencies. Lifesaving skills in the first responder course include recognizing unsafe scenarios and hazardous materials emergencies; protecting emergency personnel from blood borne pathogens; controlling bleeding; applying splints; conducting a primary life-saving patient assessment, in-line spinal stabilization and transport; and calling for more advanced medical help.

Armed with my certification, I am now at the fire house about four days a week as a volunteer. I’m not going to lie to you, there is a good bit of down time but there is also a ton of preparation for when the alarm bell goes off.

For instance, on Monday night we train for everything a firefighter does – house rescues, water rescues, car extractions, hose training, etc. I don’t know how hard it looks in the movie “Backdraft,” but I assure you that dragging 1,000 feet of water-filled hose up a few flights of stairs is incredibly difficult. It’s hard training and can be super intense.

We’re constantly making sure all the “eyes” are dotted and the “tees” are crossed when it comes to being ready for a call. One of my key responsibilities is the weekly truck check. I am assigned to a truck and it’s my responsibility to make sure all the tools are on the truck, everything’s lubed properly, the chainsaws are gassed up, and all the equipment is there and ready for an emergency. Basically I make sure that when the alarm comes, the truck is good to go.

As a first responder, while I can—and do—go with the fire fighters to the scene of a fire or accident, I can’t go into a working structure fire. In order for that to happen, I need to pass my Florida Firefighter I and II exams, two comprehensive written and practical examinations that follow a combined 500 hours of grueling class and field work.

http://www.renalbusiness.com/articles/2011/06/my-quest-to-become-a-firefighter.aspx