Trauma Week Day One and Two (Fire/Scene and Roles of Firefighters and Career Information)

From November 30th to December 4th, my Biomed class walked through a burn case. (Day ONE) We were presented a case of a 2 story house fire with a 4yo inside.... fully involved. The call was at 7:00am when the "firefighters" go to work and prepare for the bell. They had six seconds to gain the information we were given above. When tackling the call, the firetruck must have the information such as the house area, weather conditions, peer strength/weaknesses, etc. My classmates, Bridget and Maddie, got to dress in the attire that the Firefighters wear into the scene. They wore blackout masks to mimic the intensity and thickness of the smoke. Realistically, the victim (in our case the 4yo) has six minutes before the survival rate is slim to none because of the inhalation. They got to crawl through a simulated upstairs on fire to find the baby, but soon failed. Jewel and JM, two professional firefighters, showed us how it was really done, by finishing and safely securing the child that was under the bed. On day TWO, we got to dive into the world of fightering and their roles daily. Tony McCarron (recruiter) informed us that many firefighters are recruited or traditionally fulfill the job passed on by generations. The salary can be impactful for the ten days they work a month with the rest being regular jobs to boost income. As time has changed, today we see 90% of their calls being medical with only 10% fires. The firetrucks are first on the scene and have strict roles each person is required. Jobs may include hooking up the plug to the water engine, driver getting the pressure right, 360 around the house for checks, flanking the water out, etc. One thing that was really emphasized this week that has never been brought to my attention is the ambition and drive of these men and women. They work so hard and will die trying to be there comforting and helping the victim to safety. We greatly appreciate the time that Tony McCarron, Jewel Hunter, John Micheal, and Markel Jones for spending their off days introducing us to a different side of the career.