Burning Questions - Justin Wang

BURNING QUESTIONS by Justin Wang

Although our fire department is invaluable to our community, especially in the fire-prone climate of California, many of us don’t know what really goes through the heads (and hearts) of the brave men and women that pull us from burning wreckage and coax scared cats out of trees. To help provide perspective on this life-saving profession, Pulse interviewed former Fire Captain and current Community Outreach Officer Micah Doan. Recorded here are just a few of the most standout questions--for the full interview, visit ccapulse.com!

PULSE: What is the daily routine of a firefighter like? What happens when you aren’t putting out fires or rescuing cats stuck in trees?

DOAN: [Usually] we show up in the morning, about 7:00, [although] our normal shift change is 8:00. We usually relieve each other a little early. It’s common courtesy we do so that people can get out the door and beat traffic. We’ll usually have a morning meeting at about 8:00. We have 4 people on a crew, so we’ll all sit down together and go over the routine for the day. [Then we’ll] have to do equipment checks, where we check out the entire fire engine and make sure that all the equipment is functioning properly and nothing’s missing. We’re at the station for 24 hours a day, and we’re supposed to stay fit for our job. If we don’t... well, one of the most common killers of firefighters is heart attacks, and we’ll start to see these real impacts with cardiovascular fitness. Sometimes, we’ll go out get exercise. And then we’ll go shop--we live at the station for 24 hours, so we have to cook lunch and dinner each day. After 5:00 and after dinner, [we] do all the dishes, clean the station a little bit, [and] hopefully get some rest and some downtime.

Our days usually don’t go that smoothly though. Keep in mind, all this stuff happens in between calls. At anytime throughout our shift, we have to be prepared to address emergencies and save lives. And that’s one of the things people don't know when they see us exercising or see us shopping--we carry our radios with us so we can hear incoming calls. That’s why we stay together all the time. This way we’re available when a call comes.

PULSE: Has the Fire Department ever been stressed for resources in the past? And if so, what is your course of action?

DOAN: Definitely. On a day to day basis, we respond to medical calls. Many people assume it is the job of the ambulance to respond to medical calls, but the fire department does too because we’re cross trained as EMTs and paramedics. We get there first, usually within 5-7 minutes of the 911 call, and we’re able to render aid. And a lot of times we’ll be waiting on an ambulance because