CULLMAN – Firefighters have a rewarding, but undeniably tough job. Risking their own safety to rush to the aid of others is a sacrifice that should not be understated. Children across the country watch their large, shiny trucks in awe as they race down the street to save the day, but what is the day-to-day life of a firefighter like? Captain Darrell Harrington of Station B explains that there is a lot more to their day than simply waiting on a call.
“No two days are alike as firefighter,” Harrington said.
“Here we work a 24 to 48 hour rotation with an A, B and C shift. We come on duty at 7 a.m. in the morning and we will get off duty at 7 a.m. the next morning. After we get to work and eat breakfast, we make sure our uniforms are in place and then at 8 a.m., we will have our radio test. After that we begin our station clean up.”
Firefighters have a long list of chores that include physical training, cleaning and maintaining equipment daily.
“We also have to check our radio apparatuses to make sure we have communications with dispatch,” Harrington said.
“We check all the trucks in and once that is done, we go through all the equipment and make sure it’s serviceable, and we go through this routine daily so there actually isn’t as much down time as people might think.”
While fighting fire is their number one job in the community, the fire department actually responds to a wide assortment of needs within our community, according to Harrington.
“The fire service has evolved over the years into more of an all hazard response,” he said. “Because we do technical rescue, high angle rope rescue, hazard material, emergency medicine and vehicle extrication. So we respond to almost any hazard, and it’s a whole lot more than fire nowadays.”
For an intense job, you are going to need intense training. Our local firefighters go through a rigorous 360-hour course, EMT training and hazardous material technician training.
“Once you go through the testing process and you are hired in as a candidate, then you have to go to minimum standards, which takes about 10 weeks,” Harrington said. “Education in this job never stops; it carries on through your whole career.”
Harrington said that while they do everything within their power to minimize the risk, there are still dangerous calls. He recalled some sketchy fires in the past, but at the end of the day, it’s all about helping people.
“The most rewarding part of this job is helping people,” said Harrington. “At the end of the day, we all got into this job so that we could help others and that is its own reward. Knowing that you helped someone when they were in a situation where they absolutely needed someone.”
For more information on the Cullman City Fire Department, call 256-775-7186.
