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My Experience as a Fire/Rescue Explorer

Keri Widman
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From the second the dispatcher calls out over the scanner, "Cobleskill Fire and Rescue standby" to the moment I return to the station and hear the driver saying, "10-8 back at the station," it is not only an adrenaline rush, but also a great experience that allows me to help others. No matter what time of day, whether it is three o'clock in the morning or three o'clock in the afternoon, we are all dedicated and willing to help. Even when we are at a fire, with everyone facing work or school in a couple of hours, we just get some coffee and take a break for a few minutes.

Whether I'm grabbing my gear and getting on the fire truck or catching the ambulance and pulling out the stretcher, I know that I am making a difference. Putting out a fire or bringing a patient to the hospital, calling over the radio, "Cobleskill Engine Three in route to the call," or "Cobleskill Ambulance in route to the hospital," I know I am helping people in a desperate time of need, and that is what I like to do most.

Recently, on a Saturday night, I heard the dispatcher call out, "Cobleskill Fire and Rescue, respond to a fully involved barn fire." I jumped in the Jetta and drove to the station as fast as I could. I grabbed my gear and hopped on the only truck still left at the station. Speeding down the road, bright red and white lights flashing and the siren going, we moved as fast as we could to get to the fire. When we finally got there, we grabbed some hoses, but on the way I saw a little girl screaming and crying. I felt sorry for the little girl and her family, and I wanted to go to her and tell her it was going to be all right. We had to move and couldn't stop because, if we did, the fire could have spread to the house. She was losing her barn, but luckily no animals were hurt. About five hours later I went in the ambulance to have my ankle checked because it was sprained. The chief made me go to the emergency room to make sure I was all right. We keep an ambulance at fires just in case something should happen. I had to get on the stretcher, get strapped in, and have my vitals taken, just like every other patient we bring to the hospital. It felt weird to be the patient instead of the one helping the patient. I knew then what it was like to receive the care rather than giving it. Instead of always helping others, I was the one being helped.

These experiences have made me realize what I want to do later on in life. My passion to help people in emergencies has influenced me to become an emergency room doctor, a career choice I hope to pursue in college and medical school.

I will stay with the Rescue Squad and Fire Department until I go to college. I will miss the rush of the call and helping people but will think back to my memories of going out on the middle of the night calls and hanging out with all the guys at a fire or the station. Maybe later, once I'm settled, I will join another fire department and rescue squad. It takes a lot of dedication to be a volunteer firefighter and to be on the rescue squad. I will always remember how hard we worked and will understand how other firefighters and rescue squad personnel feel after a big fire or big accident.
 

Copyright 2001 by Keri Widman. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the author.