Eldorado-Brookview Volunteer Fire Department member Olivia Santos just finished her introduction level fire fighting course.
Santos, a 2020 graduate of North Dorchester High School, joined the company in 2019, and completed the EMT class before embarking on Firefighter 1.
“It was a challenging class, but I made it through,” Santos said, adding the hardest part was that the course was “out of my comfort zone.”
“I didn’t really see myself as a firefighter,” said Santos of her feeling that lasted until the class transitioned from classroom learning to what she called “the practical stuff.” Santos said the best part of the course was getting some “real experience.” Santos experienced a different kind of challenge last year when she was taking the EMT class, when the class was canceled for three months, then switched to virtual learning online. Upon completion of that course, she became a nationally registered and Maryland state-certified EMT.