Fire is one of the most dangerous things in the world. You use it for cooking and sometimes heating your home, but if it gets a little too out of control, it can burn down buildings; it could even lead to wildland fires that burn thousands of acres of wildlife and trees. It takes a lot to combat and put out these fires. Continue reading to learn why firefighting is one of the toughest jobs today.
High Expectations
Part of what makes firefighting so difficult is that the occupation comes with high expectations. Like in the medical field, you are dealing with life and death, and time is critical. Even without people involved in the fire, each second that a fire is left to rage on results in destruction and devastation.
As a firefighter, it’s your job to fight against this and ensure that you put out the fires quickly and properly. Simultaneously, you must make sure that you aren’t causing more damage. Fire hoses are wild if not controlled correctly. To add on, the integrity of the structure could already be compromised due to the fire, and the whole building could come down.
When you’re a firefighter, your job is to put out fires. But if you want to keep everything in the best condition possible, you must also do everything you can to save people’s lives if they’re stuck in that fire.
Always at the Ready
Another reason why fighting fires is so tough is that you must always be prepared and ready. When you’re at that fire station, you must be able to respond at a moment’s notice to these emergencies. Few other industries require such a quick response time, which can weigh heavily on these firefighters. In addition to waiting, you’ll spend a lot of time preparing and maintaining equipment to ensure you’re ready to take on those fires.
Equipment Is Precious
A big indicator of why fighting fires is incredibly tough is that firefighters must be precise and operate complex equipment. The average person cannot run into a burning building to save someone or something without getting stuck themselves or suffering severe burns. Firefighters require the following equipment:
- Specialized gear
- Firetrucks
- Access to massive amounts of water at high pressures
- Ventilators
- Fire retardant
Without this equipment, the firefighters would be no different from the average person, aside from perhaps some bravery. It’s also critical that the equipment is well-maintained and in good working condition.
Firefighters spend a lot of time prepping their equipment and looking for signs that something needs to be replaced. For example, one significant sign that it is time to replace your wildland firefighter boots is if there are holes. A hole can slide in some other industries, but when it comes to fires, it can spell the difference between life and death.
Fighting fires is one of the toughest jobs in the world today, and while technology is advancing and helping in some ways, the fires keep getting bigger and hotter. It’s a tough job that will remain tough as long as fires ravage all parts of the world. Thankfully, plenty of firefighters take care of that tough responsibility every day.
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