Fire Academy Research Paper

As a current student at Ridge Fire Academy, I have learned so much about myself and what it takes to become a Fire Fighter. The instructors have taught us and informed us on how dangerous this job may really be. From the stories of their past experiences, to scars they have received, it is apparent that danger may be present at anytime. The unfortunate story of Lieutenant John Mickel and FireFighter Dallas Begg is a testimony to that concept which should always be remembered as a learning tool in the firefighting world. May they never be forgotten.

The fire service means something completely different to me now that I am in the fire academy than a couple years ago, before I even had the interest in pursuing to become a firefighter. Before

I now understand that it does not only have to be fires or car accidents in which the fire service must be involved. In the academy, I have learned that the fire service mission is to “save lives and protect property and the environment from fires and other hazardous situations.” Because the amount of fires are not as numerous as it used to be, the approach has slightly changed to saving lives and protecting from all hazards, not only fires. Firefighters are involved in emergency medical services, technical rescue services, and dealing with hazardous material. They are also involved in fire prevention and public safety education to help educate children and adults on how to prevent fires and what dangerous habits may cause fires. No matter what occupation in the fire service, it must consist of people who are brave and willing to sacrifice anything, whether it be their personal hobbies, their time with family, or even their life. There must also be a willingness to care for others and put others ahead of themselves. It is very important for the fire service to keep a positive public image, which can be done by displaying respectable qualities such as having good character, integrity, and generally a good work

As I have mentioned before, I wanted to become a firefighter when I was younger. Since no one in my family is involved in the fire service, I feel that this desire was never nurtured and therefore put on the back-burner. After graduating high school, I had no clue that I would be getting an EMT license or that I would be going to the fire academy. Firefighting never crossed my mind. I was not completely sure on what I wanted to go to college for, but I knew I wanted to do something unordinary and active to where I was not sitting at a desk all day. Athletic training seemed to somewhat fit that category; therefore I went to college to major in Athletic Training to hopefully work for a college or professional sports team. During this time, I was also training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and had a couple training partners who were firefighters that happened to be very good friends of mine. After completing my Associate’s degree, I applied for the Athletic Training program at the University of Central Florida. Unfortunately, I did not make the cut and was not accepted into the program. They only accepted applications once a year so I decided to continue going to school to complete some prerequisites and then reapply the next year. Again, I was not accepted which made me very frustrated because I felt like I wasted so much time going to college just to become an Athletic Trainer. I began speaking to one of my