Raging sirens. Lights going. Racing to their call.
The average firefighter makes $47,000 a year. That's about 21.50 an hour. That's not a lot. Especially when you're supporting a family.
They go through tough training, long nights, sometimes injuries, and they're away from their loved ones.
They're the first ones to go in a fire and the last to come out.
"Two in, two out"
They drop whatever they're doing, whether that be showering, eating, using the bathroom, whatever, to go to a call in a timely manner.
They put their lives on the line every shift somehow, someway.
Somedays they are slow, somedays they are super busy.
All for strangers.
Firefighting is in my blood
My pawpaw was a firefighter.
My grandaddy was a firefighter.
My dad is a firefighter.
My brother wants to be a firefighter.
Most people don't get it..
My dad works 24 hour shifts.
JCCFD full time & HFD part time.
He's hardly ever home.
He is away from his family.
My dad puts HIS life on the line for STRANGERS.
People that he doesn't even know.
Sometimes he has to work multiple days in a row.
The most days I remember him working in a row was 6. The station is my dad's home away from home
He would miss school events, ball games, family functions, etc.
Holidays aren't the same, sometimes he has to work Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, etc. But he's got to do what he's got to do. When he does have to work all the crew's families come up and have dinner, and just enjoy being with them.
It's not always easy not having him around a lot, but we make it work.
On the plus side of being a firefighter's daughter,
I have a bunch of other moms and dads.
We are all a big family.
We will surprise him by coming to the station and seeing him.
He will let me come and spend the day with him & ride on the medic,
which is a lot fun, in my opinion.
Why does he as well as our family sacrifice all this??
Because he LOVES his job & wouldn't trade it for the world.
I couldn't be more proud of him for all he does for our family and how hard he works to provide for us.
I wouldn't trade being a firefighters daughter for anything.
To be quite honest it's fun.
Every shift when he's gone when we hang up the phone:
"Daddy loves ya"
"Daughter loves ya"