There’s a reason  firefighters are named the “first responders.” It’s not because they pick up the phone when you dial 911, but because they (along with the police, EMTs, and paramedics) arrive the quickest to assist in your time of need. However, how does this work with COVID-19 affecting jobs and lifestyles now?  When interviewed, firefighter Daniel Yeh responded that they still arrived at calls of help, but now had to act much more cautiously to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19. 

Firefighters are at very high risk from COVID-19 because they are not only dealing with strangers and their medical issues, but they also are traveling throughout the entire city. This means that if one firefighter were to catch COVID-19, they could spread it throughout a city effortlessly. As a result, the firefighters have adopted more protective equipment and procedures. They now wear masks and gloves at all times and are required to ask certain questions about the caller before dispatching. If someone shows signs of COVID-19, the firefighters arrive in full gowns and other equipment to avoid as much threat as possible.

Back at the firehouse, the caution does not stop. Firefighters work two 24-hour shifts every week, from 8 AM to 8 AM the next day. Much of those 24-hour shifts are used to heavily sanitize and clean the firehouse, in order to eliminate any traces of COVID-19. After properly caring for their firehouse, they then perform maintenance on their equipment. They clean and sanitize the tools and also make sure they are performing well. They check their tools numerous times throughout the day to be absolutely sure that they are completely prepared for any emergency that can arise. Yeh adds that if any equipment were to fail, they fix or replace it quickly, so there is never an occasion where they are unprepared for an emergency. 

Life for a firefighter is rigorous and difficult, but some might enjoy the time and effort that go into it. What would someone do if they were interested in joining their ranks? When asked, Daniel Yeh revealed that a surprising 85% of firefighters were actually volunteers. They were still trained, but the training was not as difficult as paid firefighters received. Paid firefighters received much more rigorous training and had to meet a few requirements: they had to graduate high school, be at least 18 years of age, receive vocational education, be able to wear 80 pounds of uniform, and preferably have a college degree. Even if you were able to meet all the requirements, you would need to apply and pass the applying stage. According to Yeh, over 5,000 people apply annually, but only 80 are hired. 

If you are an everyday person like me who wants to help support our hardworking firefighters in the community, you can help by donating money to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. This a donation fund for the firefighters who recently lost their homes in the recent wildfires that have swept across California. There is also the Disaster Relief for IAFF Members fund, the Fallen Firefighter Foundation, and the NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund, which both help the firefighters and their recent loss. Every bit counts and it’d be kind to give back to the people who have supported our community for so long.

By ​Nathan Park