By: Robert Mengel
1/8/16
Many average American citizens live
extraordinary lives. Some are doctors, some are laborers, and some are firemen.
In my life, I am extremely impacted by firemen since my father is one, and my
grandfather was one too. I feel as if people don’t know much on the occupation,
so I decided to interview my dad.
We always talked about the job but
never in detail. You never knew what could’ve happened in those 24 hour shifts.
Was a life saved? Was a life lost? Personally, I didn’t want to find out
because I felt that was private information. Many people believe firemen “Only
fight fires” but would be shocked to find the truth. I mentioned this idea and
suddenly he laughed, “There’s been times in which I’d never fight a fire for
months, we do many things besides fires such as aid car crashes, help
paramedics, and cooperate with all first responders,” he replied. Not only
that, but I knew he did more than that. My dad led rallies to fight for his
union, and he was also a secretary, so much more work just to help out his
brothers.
After talking about his daily
routine, we discussed where it all started. I asked him, “What made you become
a fireman?” With a grin, I could see the answer in his face, “Well, after
dropping out of Siena I needed a job badly, so decided to fill in your
granddads shoes.” The shirt with his union insignia always seemed to fit him
well. You could tell he was proud of his job. Everything about him read “I’m a
fireman, and I am proud.”
Later on in the interview I asked
him, “In your opinion, was it hard becoming a firefighter?” He took a second to
contemplate, memories were rushing in his mind. “Yes, there were a lot of hoops
to jump through, I had to pass a physical also, but it was well worth it.” The
interview at this point rather felt like a conversation. I was learning more
about my father and I liked it. I then proceeded to ask him what was the
strangest call he ever received, the answer made me chuckle when he said, “We
had a person call us to change the channel on their T.V.” His answers kept me
on my toes. They were unexpected
Continuing to chit-chat, my Dad and
I started talking about the future. “What advice would you tell a rookie?” I
asked him. I gave him a smirk because I knew it made him feel old. Then he
said, “Always train, be respectful of your elders, don't be complacent, and
always be aware of your surroundings. Also remember, the learning never stops.”
After his response I felt like that was more of a statement to me rather than
an answer. Was he giving me advice?
In my final questions, the topic was
retirement. My dad said, “ I plan on retiring in 15 years, that way I can
maximize my contract.” Having already known this, I then realized that my dad
became a fireman when I was born. I’ll be 32 when he’s done. Future memories to
come were in my thinking.
In my opinion, I believe we all have
a little firefighter in us. That burning passion that drives us to fulfill our
lives. My father helps motivates me because he serves as a working example. I
hope by reading this interview he can motivate you.
