My son, who is 16, is a Jr. Volunteer at the local, all volunteer, fire department. He's had all the training necessary to fight exterior fires, and is waiting to turn 18 so that he can work on learning about fighting interior fires.
I have a friend that is the Captain for the Washington Township Fire Department near my hometown. He had read a FB update I posted about my son and his journey to become a firefighter. It has been 25 or more years since he and I physically have talked to each other, but he felt the need to offer my son an opportunity to ride along with him during a 15 hour shift, going on fire as well as EMS calls. My son jumped at the chance to go with him this past Friday.
Apparently the department recently acquired a new aerial unit...for $900,000. It has only been in service for a month, and he gave my son a training session on how to operate the unit. He was put behind the controls and was able to raise and extend the ladder as far as it would go, then retract and re-secure it a number of times, as well as work the side rams and such. He had a great time. After the 15 hour shift, an invitation for more ride-alongs were offered for his next visit.
My buddy told me that if my son ever moves back to the area, to contact him about being hired. Of course there will be more training first, but that offer impressed me.
To be honest, I was unsure about him wanting to take this path in life...I didn't think he would be able to handle a fire, because of his surviving a massive house fire in the past. Surprisingly, he's stronger than I gave him credit for. When I questioned him about it, his reply was that there were a number of folks that risked their life for him, and that he felt the need to repay them by following in their footsteps. He is one heck of a kid, and I'm proud to call him son.
Here are a few photos of him operating the aerial.
