|
No time to play
checkers
Over theyears I have occasionally had peopleask if wesit around
thefirestation and play checkers or cards killing timewhilewewait for the
next big fireto happen.
The question never surprised
me because I have seen so many pictures where artists have depicted that
exact scenario. They always seem to show a quaint little f i reh o u s e
with f i ref i g h t er s sitting around with their trusty D a l m at i a n
and ch ecker b o a rd . I have to admit these pictures are always warm and
cozy. The only problem is this scenario could not be further from the
truth.
Over the years the responsibilities
of the fire service have continually expanded, requiring tremendous
amounts of training so firefighters can handle a wide array of situations.
Years ago firefighters simply fought fires. Now there is a long list added
to that one res p o n s i b i l i t y.
Today firefighters in High Point
must also handle emergency medical calls; vehicle accidents;
hazardous materials incidents, which includes taking classes related to
terrorist threats such as weapons of mass destruction; all types of rescue
calls including structural collapse, water rescue as well as trench, high
angle and confined space rescue. We also have a dive team to handle
incidents at our lakes and retention ponds.
It takes a tremendous amount of
time and training to maintain a high level of proficiency in all these
areas.
I promise you, I’m not complaining.
Firefighters love a challenge and over time have! embraced all these
new responsibilities.
Training is continuous to
improve skills and find new and improved ways to provide service to the
people of High Point.
I guess my point is that there is
little time to play checkers as our world continues to change and
our responsibilities continue to increase.
One of the amazing things about our
job is that no matter how much you train, you will always run into a
situation you’re not fully prepared for.
Recently we responded to a call and
found a lady who wasn’t happy about a black snake she saw slithering
through her house. Snake training is not one of our specialties, but
somehow the firefighters on the truck managed to capture the snake and
release it safely into the woods.
24/7/365: You call; we res p
o n d .
KENNETH LEE KNIGHT is a battalion chief in the High Point Fire
Department. He can be contacted at kenneth.knight@highpointnc.gov.
 
|
|
