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■sday, November 13, 200
Makin’ their rounds all over town
or Ha
<v>es
Area firefighters share first-hand accounts of fighting fires y and saving lives
By Heather Campbell
THE BATTALION
——
tis 3 a.m., and sirens blare as firefighters race
et dressed in one minute and jump into emer-
cy vehicles. Lights illuminate the sky as the
fighters near their destination, unsure of what
will find.
‘When that siren goes off, we don’t know
it we’re going to be doing, and have only
bvminutes to prepare,” said Chad Phillips,
{censed paramedic and firelighter.
'etc Moreno, a firefighter ztnd EMT, said
within five minutes they arrive at the
jie to render aid.
‘Sometimes, all we can see is black
ause the smoke gets so thick,” Moreno
.“The most emotional calls are when
get there and people beg for you to
ive their loved ones, but it’s too late,
was the fira iWe hear people spouting off their last
really seeitallids, and it's hard.”
er.’’ she sail W unn ' n g 0,1 half-eaten meals, scram-
ile has slip P’S out °* ^ Cc i in the early hours of the
hedule set u 1 P 11111 ? ancl Hustling from one scene to anoth-
Jareeveryday occurrences at the fire station,
aru. u ■p Q rCi , Rodgers said that it hurts him to see
e candotkgi Ppje in neetL
e have. ■.\y e want lo everything we can to help,”
October, Bout |t)|g ers said. “And if that’s an inconvenience to
timated Si. 5-; jly of us, so be it.”
ig for Bonfire ■Certified firefighters, most of them also serve
)o costly and ■paramedics and some work 24-hour shifts,
ae UniversityioiiB“It took me a while to get into the routine.”
gerssaid. “I relish sleep now.”
The fire station is their home where they
k,clean and sleep. Their mornings consist of
paring the trucks and making sure the station
operating smoothly. Dealing with the trauma
id pressures they face can he extremely diffi-
It, Phil lips said.
“There is a lot of stress on the job because we
wmevtain amount of power over someone's
life,” Phillips said. “Sometimes, we’re breathing
for them, and we watch the heart on the monitor
each time we give them air. When it calms down
after a fatality, the scene runs through our heads.
The critical incident stress management team
helps us work through the pain.”
Phillips said they received their most shocking
call after the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse.
“Eve never seen a sight as unbelievable as the
fallen Bonfire,” he said.
plans for
rs. During the Fij
meeting on M
er said the sttt
ttee discussed
al situation ofBt
rin concluded tk
e might be too
vvser said preli
es were at $8
nillion. Tumei
es told the
tee (t could.:
at to build
r said,
er Const
on for E
;k. Two
ety firms
tiations u
r, citing f
and a lack of si
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BRYAN
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(WO IVb.Vfir:
College Station firefighters (from left to right) Robert Mumford. Kevin Stobbs, Lt. Greg Rodgers. Chad Phillips,
Pete Moreno, Leon Moore and Chief Goehl (not pictured) take a break from a busy day’s work.
n 10 VO UV HEATHUR ( AMPBI.LL, ll.l USTRATION BY CODY WAGES AND GUY ROGERS
Rodgers said that after an emergency they try
to keep things in perspective.
“1 have a family, and I love them very much,”
Moreno laid. “Each morning, 1 leave my house
and realize that there’s a chance I may never
come back.”
The Sept. 1 I terrorist attacks have affected fire
stations with several anthrax scares and have
changed people's behavior.
“For a while, we were getting It)
anthrax calls a day,” Moreno said. “The
tragedy brought a change among peo
ple’s behavior concerning emergencies.
If we run around with a hose, people
will crawl on their hands and knees to
get away instead of staying to see what
happened. In that aspect it has changed
a great deal.’’
Firefighters constantly put their
lives on the line for others and per
form selfless acts everyday.
“One time, the entire ceiling came
down on my head,” Rodgers said.
“That’s why we wear helmets. Each
piece of clothing we wear and equipment we
Q carry serves a specific purpose.”
Moreno is fulfilling a childhood dream by
serving.as a firefighter. He said the brotherhood
among the firefighters is priceless.
“It’s a family event," he said. “Any fireman
could walk in from around the world and we
would treat them like one of our own. We are
willing to put our lives in each other's hands.
The camaraderie we share is incredible.”
Phillips said the most rewarding moments are
when they realize they have made a difference.
“I wouldn’t want to do anything else,”
Phillips said. “Especially after Sept. 11, when I
see flags waving, it makes me proud.”
Moreno said that he and his friends would
trade their life for someone else.
“There’s not a lot of people who wake up and
think that today someone’s son or daughter might
live because 1 was there,” Moreno said.
■q
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