Many years ago, after volunteering for several months, I decided to make the fire and emergency services my long-time career. There were a couple reasons for this choice, but among them was the fact that in our business every day is different.
From fires, vehicle crashes, medical emergencies, and hazardous materials releases to venomous snakes and rescuing ‘Fifty Shades’ imitators trapped by handcuffs, we never know what to expect when we roll out the door.
Earlier this week I wrote about the importance of training hard to help ourselves, and our comrades, stay alive in what will always be — to some extent — a dangerous and uncertain work environment.
Beyond training to safely and effectively handle the myriad incident types we can reasonably expect on a given day, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of staying aware, alert and maintaining situational awareness on every call.
No matter how routine it may at first appear, it’s always critical to expect the unexpected.
Stay safe!
