Being a fire fighter is far from having a normal, nine-to-five office job. We all know that these noble men who are dedicated to their work are the ones putting out fires in times of accidents and emergencies. But there is more to it than just running in their fire trucks and carrying their heavy hoses and aiming it to the fire like what we usually see in cartoons or in movies.
Looking at the numerous duties and responsibilities, it’s clear the fire fighters must be carefully sorted before they are qualified to do the job in order to achieve goals such as saving lives, properties and the environment. Along with the goals of saving, bear in mind that fire fighters face numerous obstacles when doing their jobs. First and foremost, fire accidents usually happen at night. This means that there’s lesser light for them to see. Aside from that, the smoke from the fire blurs the vision and weakens the respiratory system. Without the proper gears and equipment, fire fighters inside a burning building will be helpless. This only proves that being a UK fire fighter involves a lot of physical, medical and personality assessment tests as well as guts, bravery and determination. To explain further on what duties a UK fire fighter has, here is a list.
Provide Emergency Medical Services
Some of the members in a Fire Brigade are trained ambulance technicians that are allowed to conduct first aid procedures to people who have been victims of a fire. Since fire fighters are usually the first rescue team to arrive in a fire accident, they have to treat the affected people beforehand until the paramedics and the ambulance service arrives.
Mitigate Hazardous Materials
Fires that have burnt properties may cause chemical reactions that are bad or hazardous to the health. Fire fighters determine if there are hazardous substances in the environment before and after a fire incident. Examples of these are materials that are radioactive, flammable, explosive, corrosive, oxidizing, asphyxiating, biohazardous, toxic, pathogenic, or allergenic. On inspections, fire fighters warn building and home owners about possible hazardous materials and on fire incidents, they control the state of hazard and conduct operations to lessen the danger.
Rescue Vehicles
Aside from rescuing vehicles because of their value, firemen see to it that there are no vehicles on fire whenever there’s a fire incident in an area. This is because vehicles are explosive and when it’s on fire, the situation might worsen.
Conduct Search and Rescue Operations
During emergencies and fires, search and rescue operations are the most crucial part of the job in being a fire fighter. People stuck inside burning houses and buildings are rescued by fire fighters with the help of machines and equipment. Fire fighters must also ensure their own safety by going in teams and carrying their own safety gear and alarms. Once they’re inside the area of danger to rescue trapped victims, fellow colleagues will wait for warnings outside and help them when they’re in need.
