MVA's

A car wreck is something no one ever wants to face. The fear of getting into a motor vehicle accident, MVA, has rendered some people from ever getting behind the wheel because they are so fearful of it. Though it should definitely be a fear, it can be used as an advantage to make people drive safer and realize the consequences of being ignorant while driving. Firefighters don't just run in burning buildings, we “run” every MVA, no matter day or night. The only car accident we don't run is a little fender bender. What would be the point in Rescue 1 showing up to something where the only damage done is some chipped paint? That would be kind of hysterical if you think about it. Most of the MVA’s we run are for considerable reason though. In an accident where the person is trapped inside because the door won't open, or the roof has collapsed, we are the lifeline to get the person out. Whether the car is on its top, on its side, or even on the wheels, we have extrication equipment for it all. The spreaders, or commonly known as “the jaws of life”, are used to pry doors open, move something out of the way, or even to pry a dashboard off of a person. The cutters are what their name implies. They are used to cut door hinges and the pinions so the door can be completely removed instead of just popped open. They can also be used to cut the roof off of a car if need be. Another piece of equipment we have is called the “ram.” It is used to hold a car up if it is suspended, or also used to push a dashboard off of a victim. With any situation thrown at us, we are well equipped and ready for anything. Every truck has a set of spreaders and cutters on it, but Rescue 1 is equipped with anything involving. . . well. . . rescue. We get paged on MVA’s a lot more often than we do on house fires. An MVA is just like anything else in this life; it can be very minor, or it can be tremendous. The worst wreck ever seen could have survivors with nothing more than a scrape on the arm while the most insignificant, minor collision into a ditch, or collision with another car could have people dead on arrival (DOA) at the scene. Sometimes it’s hard to see God’s plan, especially when something happens like what I just explained. Although it's hard to see, it’s faith that has to be seen.

                                                                      (He Survived)

The Unseen Life Of A Firefighter

I have been a firefighter for almost two years now. There ain’t much that I have not seen yet. I’ve seen dozens of houses burnt to the ground, over a hundred cars mangled and destroyed, and yet I can still remember every call I have ever been on like it was yesterday. I suppose it is just one of those things that never leave your mind. Maybe it helps in future situations? Maybe it stays in your mind for a reason? I honestly can not answer these questions. Of course, though,  some tragedies and events are more significant and stand out more than others.

    For example, we were paged out for an oil spill in town one day. We put down absorbent pads, booms, and called the EPA in since it was going into the river. We were there for three or four hours, at the tops. That is all I remember about that incident. It was not very significant and did not really have an affect on me. With that being said, small fender benders and small fires are not really significant either, yet I still remember them. It’s bad to say, but significance is measurable by the amount of damage done. In that case, I wish nothing was significant. If only the world were a perfect place and there was no disaster and loss.   

    I believe that is the thing that people do not understand about firefighters; we ache and hurt just as much as the person we are helping out. Agreed, we do not show it, but our job is to comfort people in their worst. How comforting would we come off if we broke down and let it show how much something affected us in front of the person we are trying to be there for? I’m not going to lie, it affects you. I’m not the same person I was a year and a half ago. It is impossible to not let it affect you. We see people lose absolutely everything they have. How are you supposed to just “let it go”? Speaking for myself, I have spent countless hours not being able to sleep, balling my eyes out thinking about all of it. It’s just one of those “part of the job” kind of things I guess though. There ain’t really nothing to do about it. There is always going to be more tragedies, and more fires, and more wrecks, and all I can do is put up a strong front and comfort and assist in any way possible. That’s the life of a firefighter though.