Yes, Bullfrog, I'm a volunteer. I am a firehouse brat, grew up at the firehouse since my Dad was a FF. After he died I thought to honor him by joining the local volunteer Box 13 Fire Associates. One thing led to another and I took the 36 hour training. I'm classified FF 1A volunteer level, and I also ride with the medics when they go out.
Yes, the work is strenuous, mostly upper body: I really should be doing some strength training but we don't have a lot of fires around here and when I get to the scenes everybody has usually gone in first and the fire is knocked down. I mostly do hose work or rehab. They have (bless their hearts) given me the nozzle a few times and let me knock down some fire. Our department is paid but very small thanks to the city, and they need all the hands they can get.
We SHOULD start a thread of grandkid pics, I bet that would be a well visited one too! 
That's right, I remember now you telling me this. Forgive me, I was new to the forum. Firefighting is really not for the meek and I really admire the fact that you did it to honor your father. I hope to have a ladder truck in my funeral procession. There is a lot of tradition in the fire service.
In a paid department they usually have a dedicated "truck" for fire suppression (focused on putting the fire out) and a "ladder company" that is focused on rescue. Volunteers don't have this luxury and often have to fill both roles due to the natural understaffing of people being away at work.
Paid "professional" firefighters often look down on volunteers as unprofessional and make a lot of nasty comments about them. But in a small community, it's all that we have and we do the best that we can, been there, done that.
My first interior attack I went in alone. We had one man pumping the truck, my wife feeding me hose at the door and the chief who wasn't bunkered up screaming instructions at me as I went crawling in dragging hose with an axe in my hand.
I can honestly say that was the most frightened that I have ever been in my life. You know, but people don't realize that with the smoke all the way down to the floor, it is pitch black. You are breathing out of a bottle of air that is strapped to your back and thats all of the air that you have. If the ceiling collapses on you or the floor gives away, you are trapped and will run out of air.
Anyway, now that I have done a really good job of hijacking your thread let me make my point. As a volunteer firefighter, you have my ultimate respect. Notice I didn't say as a woman firefighter because I don't want to sound condescending, but that also plays into my respect for what you do.
We had women in our department and they could take an axe to a door or tear a car apart with the jaws of life. They did whatever was called for. Once we had a fire in the middle of the day when all of the men were at work and it was all women who made the call.
They drove the truck, pulled the hose and hooked onto a hydrant. They fought the fire and it made national news. In a small town of 1,300 they were the only ones home at the time. I'll never forget the TV broadcast.
"Women have a new station in life, and it is a fire station." I was really proud of them and you should also be proud of what you do also. This could hatch a whole new thread. You also run on the ambulance so I know that you have some memorable calls. Life and death plays out every day in Smallville America.
Some of my most memorable calls weren't that dramatic, just special to me. Do you have any that you want to share? I do and we can take it to "Chit Chat". I think that you would have a unique perspective of what it's like to be a woman serving in the fire service and others would like to hear about it as it is kind of unique.
Not trying to put you on the spot, but I'm curious as I do the same thing. Like I said, I have allready hijacked your thread but I saw where the "Post pictures of your Grandkids" thread is allready started on the chit chat forum and that's where I'm heading next.
Those are some really beautiful grandaughters and we would all like to see some more pictures. That, is American Pie. Sitting on the porch eating a sandwitch, not a care in the world of "how I look taking a bite" pure innocence. I know that you and everyone else has more pictures and we will see them. They are our pride and joy.
Still, I'm curious, is there one emergency call that stands out?
