On a cold winter morning in January, I went to the Fairbanks Fire Department to spend the day with the men and women who put their lives on the line to fight fires.
I went inside and was greeted by Captain Zac Rittel, driver Nick Clark and firefighter Brian Winn, I would be spending what turned out to be a slow day at the station with these three. Throughout the day I would meet more of the firefighters on the crew but I went everywhere with Rittel, Clark and Winn. They were assigned to Engine 1.
After introductions I was taken to get a set of gear and then settled in to learn about what it looks like to be a firefighter. While the day had less calls than usual, it gave me the chance to see the other side of fire station life. We always see firefighters and EMS on the side of the road responding to accidents, dragging hoses as they work to put out a blaze, or when they are called to give lifesaving aid to a sick person. But, what about when they aren’t doing those things.