As I stand on the corner waiting to cross the street, only being five years old, I hear the screaming of sirens. They get closer and closer, my mom holds my arms, "Wait, don't you see the firefighters coming?" Suddenly a gigantic red machine comes up the street, it races through the red light, I see four huge heroic looking men in uniform. Then I find out that they get payed to ride on the big red truck and fight fires while saving peoples lives. At this point is when I realized that this was meant for me. Do I want to get a job where I get payed a lot of money and be rich or do I want to work helping people? This question is asked by every firefighter. This choice must be made by every great firefighter. A great firefighter not only puts out fires, a great firefighter endures rigorous training and challenging exams but works for the love of the people and not the money which they get payed.
What does it take to become a firefighter? Well, a great firefighter must pass challenging exams, both physical and mental. Firefighters, to be, must first pass an S.A.T. style written test. Challenging their listening, verbal and writing skills. After the brain has passed, it is time for the body to pass the test. The test being talked about is the drug and alcohol screening; every firefighter candidate must pass with flying colors. Meaning that there must be no trace of any type of illegal drugs in their body, or a trace of liver damage due to too much drinking. This test can search a person's body for the last ninety days. All of these tests are barely the first step towards becoming a successful firefighter. It is obvious now that a firefighter is not only an empty mass with bulging muscles on it. A firefighter is an educated, well off person, that needs muscles to work at full capacity.
After the test, there is rigorous training that must be endured to be a firefighter. Drill school starts at 8:30 a.
