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Researched by Rachel U. |
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A fire-fighter is a member of a fire department who puts
out fires and responds to emergencies. Fire-fighters are real heroes to
their community.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the first U.S.
fire-fighters, and Molly Williams was one of the first women
fire-fighters. There are not many women fire-fighters but there are
some. The New York City fire-fighters are the most famous but all
fire-fighters are pretty important. The first match was invented by
John Walker.
You have to be at least eighteen years old to start training as a
fire-fighter. It takes about six to twelve weeks of training depending
on the department. You mostly have to take first aid and on the job
training. No one can just expect to be a fire-fighter immediately; you
still have to decide which fire department you want to work for and
apply for one of the few jobs open. Fire-fighters have to decide
if they want to work at a big fire department or small.
There are eight ranks of fire-fighters. They are a Fire Chief,
Deputy Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Battalion Chief, Fire Caption, Fire
Lieutenant, Fire Prevention/Code Inspector, and an engineer.
Fire-fighters have tons of equipment! Their personal equipment
include boots, an air pack, a helmet, lots of protective clothing, and
an ax. They also have department equipment and many tools, like the
Jaws of Life and the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The
Jaws of Life can break open car doors and windows following a wreck.
The SCBAs are for breathing. They weigh about twenty-five pounds and
last either thirty minutes or an hour.
Oxygen, heat, and fuel are referred to as the fire triangle. An
important thing to remember is take any of these things away and a fire
will stop.
There are good and bad aspects to fire-fighting. One of the bad
aspects is that a lot of fire-fighters get hurt or killed.
Fire-fighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. But you
do get rewards, including the satisfaction of helping save people’s
lives and property. Fire-fighters are very respected by society.
There are a lot of responsibilities when you’re a fire-fighter.
You have to clean up at the firehouse after meals. You also have to
know what your schedules are and stick to them. After a fire-fighter
puts out a fire they have to clean up the mess, which includes spraying
hoses to clean up gases or blood. Most of your time is spent at the
fire house. Fire-fighters work long hours. Very long! There are some
private fire-fighters. They mostly work for wealthy people.
If you were a fire-fighter you could get lots of money. Each
fire-fighter gets a different amount of money which all depends on your
rank, the number of years you have been a fire-fighter, and the fire
department you work at. For example the New York fire-fighters get more
money than the Selah fire-fighters because their fire department is
bigger than ours. The engineer fire-fighters get somewhere between
$39,000-$49,000, the inspector gets between $41,000-52,000, the
lieutenant gets between $42,000-48,000. The captain gets some where
between $44,000-53,000, the battalion chief gets between
$59,000-$69,000, the assistant chief gets between $56,000-$68,000. The
deputy chief gets between $57,000-$71,000. The person that gets the
highest amount of money is the chief and he gets between
$63,000-$81,000.
There are a lot of dangers in fire-fighting and many cause death.
Exposure to heat, suffocation, toxic gases, falling structures, and
other dangers are common. Around 110-130 fire-fighters die a month in
the U.S.
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