Thomas Parrott’s job when he got to the site of the crash was to hold up a tarp to block people from the sight of a burned body.
In a study done by CareerCast, being a firefighter was found to be the second most stressful job behind military personnel. For 45 percent of college students, stress is the reason they attend counseling, according to a study by the American Psychological Association.
Parrott, senior elementary education major, deals with both as a student at App State and a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department.
“I’ve seen people trapped in cars. I’ve seen people burned alive,” Parrott said.
Parrott said he started out as a junior volunteer firefighter in South Durham, where he grew up. He worked at Parkwood Fire Department for four years until his senior year of high school.