2008 Woodie Awards
Life of a BG firefighter
Fighting flames is tougher than it seems
By: Alissa O'Neill
Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Pulse
Ambulance and fire truck sirens scream by on a daily basis in Bowling Green. Some barely notice the sirens, they've faded into daily background noise, but for others the sirens are front and center.
Jason Hudson, local firefigher, says that he has been living out his childhood dream, along with the other Bowling Green firefighters, for eight years now.
"I'd say 95 percent of the people here dreamed of being a firefighter as a child," Hudson said. "It's just something you've always wanted."
As children, however, firefighters probably did not realize the amount of work that goes on behind-the-scenes and between the emergency calls.
Each firefighter in Bowling Green's Fire Department is on-duty for 24 hours and then off-duty for 48 hours. A typical 24 hour "on-day" begins at 7 a.m. and runs through 7 a.m. of the following day.
The firefighters' day begins with role call. The station located on E. Court Street has a minimum of eight firefighters present while the station on Wooster Street west of the Wood County Hospital has four firefighters present.
"After roll call we go over the assignments," Hudson said. "We have a checklist of daily and monthly requirements that must be met."
The daily and monthly requirements include tasks to make sure equipment is cleaned and working properly in order to avoid any problems when emergencies arise.
After roll call, the firefighters move into the truck room where each person is assigned a vehicle to check-in and then they must also check the equipment. In addition to vehicle and equipment checks, firefighters have an additional list of firehouse chores, such as sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms, that must also be completed.
Around 9 a.m. the firefighters reassemble to go over Standard Operating Guidelines, which basically prepare and train firefighters to perform the tasks necessary to respond to any emergencies that may arise.
Once the firefighters have gone through the SOG, they usually break for lunch and then regroup afterward to go through a process called pre-planning.
Jason Hudson, local firefigher, says that he has been living out his childhood dream, along with the other Bowling Green firefighters, for eight years now.
"I'd say 95 percent of the people here dreamed of being a firefighter as a child," Hudson said. "It's just something you've always wanted."
As children, however, firefighters probably did not realize the amount of work that goes on behind-the-scenes and between the emergency calls.
Each firefighter in Bowling Green's Fire Department is on-duty for 24 hours and then off-duty for 48 hours. A typical 24 hour "on-day" begins at 7 a.m. and runs through 7 a.m. of the following day.
The firefighters' day begins with role call. The station located on E. Court Street has a minimum of eight firefighters present while the station on Wooster Street west of the Wood County Hospital has four firefighters present.
"After roll call we go over the assignments," Hudson said. "We have a checklist of daily and monthly requirements that must be met."
The daily and monthly requirements include tasks to make sure equipment is cleaned and working properly in order to avoid any problems when emergencies arise.
After roll call, the firefighters move into the truck room where each person is assigned a vehicle to check-in and then they must also check the equipment. In addition to vehicle and equipment checks, firefighters have an additional list of firehouse chores, such as sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms, that must also be completed.
Around 9 a.m. the firefighters reassemble to go over Standard Operating Guidelines, which basically prepare and train firefighters to perform the tasks necessary to respond to any emergencies that may arise.
Once the firefighters have gone through the SOG, they usually break for lunch and then regroup afterward to go through a process called pre-planning.
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