We are trained to read the conditions, control the conditions and to treat firefighter safety as the number 1 priority. Adrenaline and urgency don’t really give you space to stand around and think up fears. You just follow your training when you need to act. When you don’t need to act it’s all safe and you crack jokes with other firefighters.
There was only really one oh-fuck moment that I remember. It was during a backburn. The dozer had pushed some big trees to the fire side of the trail and when we it it up the fire got really big. I was outside the truck the radiant heat started burning my face. I sort of went into a huddle on my haunches, put my collar up (we have really big collars), my visor down and after a minute or two, hightailed it to the safety of a truck.
We are trained to read the conditions, control the conditions and to treat firefighter safety as the number 1 priority. Adrenaline and urgency don’t really give you space to stand around and think up fears. You just follow your training when you need to act. When you don’t need to act it’s all safe and you crack jokes with other firefighters.
There was only really one oh-fuck moment that I remember. It was during a backburn. The dozer had pushed some big trees to the fire side of the trail and when we it it up the fire got really big. I was outside the truck the radiant heat started burning my face. I sort of went into a huddle on my haunches, put my collar up (we have really big collars), my visor down and after a minute or two, hightailed it to the safety of a truck.