Thomas Godinez vividly remembers his first emergency call. He was volunteering with the fire department in Fort Collins when the station received a call about a boat rescue. He was with a bunch of his college friends.
"We thought we'd volunteer and just hang out at that station and work out together," said Godinez.
He remembers someone had fallen out of a boat in Horsetooth Reservoir. The person wasn't wearing a lifejacket, so he said speed was of the essence.
"I just remember my heart pounding out of my chest," said Godinez. "I was not anticipating what it was going to take, the mental fortitude and the physical fortitude, to do this job back then."
Godinez now works at the Castle Rock Fire Department as an engineer and paramedic. He said he loves the variety of his job, but it's a high stress and high stakes environment.