Why I Want to Be a Firefighter

Firefighting is a career that can make you feel proud and accomplished, and it is a career in which I have a lot of respect for. In order to be a firefighter you must be in shape, prepared, experienced, and ready to deal with your job emotionally as well as physically. I chose to be a firefighter because I want to be able to help others and make them feel safe to live in their communities. After visiting some actual fire departments, I realized as a firefighter you certainly have a lot to be proud of. It's not your average job and does require quite a bit of organization to stay on top of everything. Everyday you have to be ready and prepared for just about anything that can happen. You never know what kinds of jobs you are going to be set out to do in one day. This means your equipment should be in order, checked and ready to go. While going through training, I began to realize this is a career that is can be emotionally overwhelming. You must be able to cope with mental stress, and stay prepared at all times. Just the fact that you don't know what you are going to encounter throughout one day can be stressful. Knowing this you must learn how to deal with your emotions, whether it's through group therapy or just relaxing after work. People are going to depend on you when they're in a dangerous situation and you must be strong and help them when they are in need. To help others you must also be physically and mentally prepared. The physical training I have done has taught me how to deal with stress in many situations. I know I have a long way to go until I am truly ready to be a firefighter. There were a few times when I was just about ready to give up and didn't think I was able to handle the tasks I was given. Firefighting takes constant training, and there are always new techniques that are being brought into the fire department. So far in class I've had to overcome many fears, such as embarrassment, heights and new ideas I was not used to. The students