I go to an orientation for my county's fire department. They make a big deal about how you make an impression everywhere you go, so dress...

I’ve come to understand we have a cultural view of death as the worst-case scenario. Anyone dealing directly with death and dying knows this isn’t true. But looking at how our systems are set up, it is clear we’ve concluded that life should be maintained at all costs.  I had a discussion with my family about this, and we exchanged end-of-life wishes. One family member wholeheartedly embraced this outlook, clarifying that , should anything happen, they would like to be kept al

I see a text from a group chat that says the reserve department I’ve been volunteering with for the last year will be having structure...

I’m on shift getting groceries and a man is looking at me. I give a friendly smile and he says, “Thank you for trying to save my...

I’m in the parking lot of a testing site where there will be the three-hour written test required to apply to many fire departments. This...

I’ve been a reserve firefighter for eight months. Over that period, I’ve repeatedly had the same conversation with different people. It goes something like this: Someone introduces me to someone new, “... she’s a nurse and a paramedic.” New person, “Oh, a nurse. Nurses have a hard time in the per-hospital setting, they don’t understand the scope well.” Me, “Is that so?” Them, “Prehospital, we’re very to the point, action-oriented. We don’t care about ongoing conditions and th

I applied for a position I knew I was barely qualified for my first year as a volunteer firefighter. There is an engineer’s academy once a year and it was being held five months after I’d graduated my initial academy. The job posting listed two years as a volunteer firefighter or extensive EMS experience as a minimum qualification. I do have extensive EMS experience, but usually, I wait till I am overqualified to apply to jobs because why bother unless I have a solid shot? Th

I took the physical agility test that’s a prerequisite for many fire departments during medic school.  I drove three hours to take it.  I...