Firefighting is NOT just what you see on television.
“We do so much more than wait for someone to get hurt or a building to catch on fire.”
Rick Best, a veteran firefighter from Westerville, Ohio, encourages us to go to our local fire station and see the assignment board for any given day. Whether it’s a building inspection, physical training, equipment testing, or leading a parade, firefighters are always working to support their community.
After firefighting for more than 15 years, Mr. Best took on the role of Everyone Goes Home® Coordinator for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).
Everyone Goes Home® is a program supported by the NFFF to protect firefighters and prevent line of duty deaths. This program offers sixteen Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives which have been adopted by thousands of fire departments and EMS organizations to improve firefighter safety procedures.
EaseAlert is proud to align with with Everyone Goes Home® Initiative #8: Technology.
“I wish I would’ve had [EaseAlert] 20 years ago… I know I would’ve slept better because there were times when I was worried to miss a call. The vibration will help with waking up and preventing missed calls.”
Mr. Best recommends an easy, five-step activity you can do to better understand what it’s like to be a firefighter:
- Set alarms to go off throughout the night (e.g. 2:00 am, 3:30am, and 5:00am)
- Wake up to the alarm, get dressed as quickly as possible, and run to your car
- Drive around your neighborhood (be sure to put on your seatbelt and drive safely)
- Return home and try to fall back asleep
- Repeat steps 1-4 when the next alarm goes off
Good luck!
Well the truth is, this is not actually what firefighters do. They actually don’t know when the alarm will go off, they’re not just driving around their neighborhood, and they don’t return to their comfortable bed at home where they can expect another hour of sleep.
Instead they are randomly jarred awake in the middle of the night; they race to the scene of an emergency where they are called upon to fight a fire, save someone’s life, or anything in between; and then they go back to their bunk room and try to rest while making sure they are prepared for the next call that could come at any second.
In October of 1994, Rick entered the fire station for the first time.
He clenched his sleeping bag and other belongings after as thoughts of self-doubt flooded his mind and a room full of new faces confirmed his uncertainty. After what felt like an eternity, one senior firefighter stepped up. After a little more playful ribbing, this firefighter guided him to his bunk room and introduced him to the other firefighters at the station. It was then that Rick knew he was in the right place.
“The camaraderie truly lives up to expectations.”
Years later, Rick was cleaning out his locker for the last time…
He gave his cookbooks to the firefighter who was known as a notoriously bland cook and an XL t-shirt to the young and fit guy to say ‘enjoy it while it lasts.’ Each item he took out held sentiment that words just cannot capture.
Rick stared into an empty locker and held his composure. Turning to the door, he flipped the light switch off. “Click.”
“That’s when I realized: this is the last time I’m going to be in my bunk room.”
He broke down into tears at the thought of leaving his brothers and sisters in the fire department for the last time.
Regaining composure, Rick turned from his room to the hallway. To his surprise, he saw every firefighter he had worked with throughout the previous 7 years, lining the hall. A palpable nostalgia engulfed the room as they helped him carry his belongings out.
The firefighters who were there to carry his belongings into his bunk room for the first time and out of his bunk room for the last time were also there for him every moment in between.
Rick Best | Westerville, OH
- Category · Featured Firefighter
- ·ㅤPublished ·
- READ · 7 min
- ·ㅤCategory · Featured Firefighter
- ·ㅤPublished ·
“We do so much more than wait for someone to get hurt or a building to catch on fire.”
Rick Best, a veteran firefighter from Westerville, Ohio, encourages us to go to our local fire station and see the assignment board for any given day. Whether it’s a building inspection, physical training, equipment testing, or leading a parade, firefighters are always working to support their community.
After firefighting for more than 15 years, Mr. Best took on the role of Everyone Goes Home® Coordinator for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).
Everyone Goes Home® is a program supported by the NFFF to protect firefighters and prevent line of duty deaths. This program offers sixteen Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives which have been adopted by thousands of fire departments and EMS organizations to improve firefighter safety procedures.
EaseAlert is proud to align with with Everyone Goes Home® Initiative #8: Technology.
Mr. Best recommends an easy, five-step activity you can do to better understand what it’s like to be a firefighter:
- Set alarms to go off throughout the night (e.g. 2:00 am, 3:30am, and 5:00am)
- Wake up to the alarm, get dressed as quickly as possible, and run to your car
- Drive around your neighborhood (be sure to put on your seatbelt and drive safely)
- Return home and try to fall back asleep
- Repeat steps 1-4 when the next alarm goes off
Good luck!
Well the truth is, this is not actually what firefighters do. They actually don’t know when the alarm will go off, they’re not just driving around their neighborhood, and they don’t return to their comfortable bed at home where they can expect another hour of sleep.
Instead they are randomly jarred awake in the middle of the night; they race to the scene of an emergency where they are called upon to fight a fire, save someone’s life, or anything in between; and then they go back to their bunk room and try to rest while making sure they are prepared for the next call that could come at any second.
In October of 1994, Rick entered the fire station for the first time.
He clenched his sleeping bag and other belongings after as thoughts of self-doubt flooded his mind and a room full of new faces confirmed his uncertainty. After what felt like an eternity, one senior firefighter stepped up. After a little more playful ribbing, this firefighter guided him to his bunk room and introduced him to the other firefighters at the station. It was then that Rick knew he was in the right place.
Years later, Rick was cleaning out his locker for the last time…
He gave his cookbooks to the firefighter who was known as a notoriously bland cook and an XL t-shirt to the young and fit guy to say ‘enjoy it while it lasts.’ Each item he took out held sentiment that words just cannot capture.
Rick stared into an empty locker and held his composure. Turning to the door, he flipped the light switch off. “Click.”
He broke down into tears at the thought of leaving his brothers and sisters in the fire department for the last time.
Regaining composure, Rick turned from his room to the hallway. To his surprise, he saw every firefighter he had worked with throughout the previous 7 years, lining the hall. A palpable nostalgia engulfed the room as they helped him carry his belongings out.
The firefighters who were there to carry his belongings into his bunk room for the first time and out of his bunk room for the last time were also there for him every moment in between.
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