This past Wednesday, I rode along with the Beavercreek Twp. Fire and EMS Department. One of the best things about being a reporter is that sometimes I get to watch very cool people from all walks of life exercise their skills, in a way that seems effortless to an outside observer (i.e. me).
The vast majority of calls that local departments take are for Emergency Medical Services, and my ride-along was no exception. For serious cases, two people arrive on scene in an ambulance, and two arrive in the fire engine to support.
I sat in the back of the engine, hurtling with speed and purpose, sirens wailing, down Indian Ripple Road in Beavercreek.
Upon arrival to the scene, paramedics worked quickly and calmly to identify what was wrong. The patient was suffering from an infection of an old injury, and first responders suspected he was seriously close to septic shock. After determining the man was hardly responsive, paramedics worked with the family to identify his medical information, and quickly loaded him onto a cot for transport safely to the hospital.
In the roughly eight hours I spent on the road and at the station, the biggest lesson I found was firefighting is a profession of stewardship, stewardship of people’s lives, homes, and well-being as the primary function.
Stewardship also involves cleaning. Like a lot. Everyone sees the news photos of firefighters battling a house blaze. It is a heroic image. But no one really sees the part when they have to come back and scrub down 500 feet of hose afterward.
It’s also stewardship of each other. With fewer firefighters and paramedics in the field at the moment, burnout is very real, in addition to the physical danger and demands of the job.
“With the burnout, you’re working more, you’re doing more jobs, you have more responsibility,” said Lt. Steve Renacs. “And people are getting hurt. That’s a big part of that we’re seeing, people with back injuries.”
Emergency services often come into people’s lives at some of their worst moments, and see things that they then have to live with. Taking care of each other is a vital part of the role.
“We solve the world’s problems at this table every morning,” Renacs said during a reprieve at the station, in between sips from a large rainbow unicorn mug.
Growing up in the firehouse for the city of Dayton where his father worked, Renacs has since been a firefighter for 15 years, adding it’s the people he works with that keep him coming back every day.
“I just knew, after high school, this is what I wanted to do.”
For any young professionals considering a career in the fire service, Beavercreek firefighters’ advice: Be 100% in it, or not at all.
“That’s how you do your job and do it well,” Renacs said.
About the Author
