By Diane Turbyfill
The Gaston Gazette
GASTONIA, N.C. — A local teen lived his dream Wednesday.
Jacob Huffman worked as a firefighter for the day at the Union Road Volunteer Fire Department.
Huffman is a 19-year-old with autism. His friend, Brandon Campbell, is a firefighter at the local station.
When Campbell learned how much Huffman admired the fire service, he got an idea that his fellow firefighters soon embraced.
Why not let Huffman be a firefighter for a day?
Huffman excitedly jumped in with both feet - studying up on fire service online before the big day.
Huffman started the day by eating breakfast biscuits with fellow firefighters, but he was soon put to work.
Dressed out in an Union Fire Department T-shirt, he helped inventory equipment on the fire truck, and trained using a powerful fire hose. Huffman also got to work a mock rescue mission.
The teen put on approximately 60 pounds of fire gear then entered the “smokehouse” to find the “victim.”
Before he crouched down and headed into the smokey building, Huffman reviewed the drill with his commander.
“I do a left-handed search of the building, right?” he said.
But Huffman wasn’t all business.
“Are we going to have ourselves a barbecue in there?” he joked, referring to the smoke billowing from the small building behind the firehouse.
Huffman said the rescue mission was great.
“I love it. This is an awesome opportunity,” he said. “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter.”
Wednesday marked the first time the Union Road department had hosted a firefighter for the day.
Chaplain at the department, Brad Hall, said he and the other firefighters were glad to do it.
“We’re here today just letting him live out his dream,” he said. “It’s something we do every day that he doesn’t get to do.”
Huffman’s safety was always top of mind during the daily routine. He was allowed to ride on the ladder truck to calls and conduct training drills at the station.
When they took a break to cool off inside, Huffman blended right in making jokes and asking the men about their experiences.
“Today, he’s just one of us,” Hall said.