A Day in the Life of a San Angelo Firefighter

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to spend a day with the San Angelo Fire Department. I got to see what kind of things firefighters in our community go through every day. Before Friday, I had never even been to a firehouse, and I was happy to spend my first time with the members of Station 1, or the Central Station. There are eight different stations in the San Angelo area that houses 160 firefighters.  

Firefighting is an ultra hazardous, unavoidably dangerous activity. This statement appears on the inside tag of a fireman’s coat. It is an obvious statement that relays the reality of a fireman’s duty. The men at the Central Fire Station are people who dedicate their lives to protecting their community, as do all San Angelo firefighters.

The men I got to follow around were from Shift A, and the people who work that shift include Fire Chief Dunn, Chief Owen, Captain Brody, Lieutenant Rob Sparks, Lieutenant Nolan Sellers, Jeff Hunter, Darin Wright, Marshal Lange and Kory Taylor.

In the beginning of the day, the members of SAFD cleaned and organized the firehouse. While some cleaned and mowed the lawn, others went to collect groceries and started on breakfast. There are two meals that everyone comes together for, breakfast and dinner. So for breakfast, we all sat together and talked about future plans and how families are. Sitting with them felt like I was sitting at a family function.

“We are a family and I see these guys like brothers,” said Captain Brody. “This group of guys are a rowdy bunch, but it is all in good fun.”

For their chores, the firefighters cleaned the firehouse from top to bottom. They swept floors, cleaned bathrooms, mowed the lawn, washed the trucks, cleaned the engine room, and much more. The guys got everything situated for the day.

At around 11:10 a.m., a call rang out over the speakers in the station house for Rescue 1 to go out to a rollover on S. Jackson and Gibbs. It was called in as an entrapment, so the men loaded up and made preparations to use the Jaws of Life. The Jaws of Life are a hydraulic apparatus used to pry apart the wreckage of crashed vehicles in order to free people trapped inside. This is a tool that the firefighters don’t get to use too often, but when they do, they say it's fun to operate. Upon arrival, however, the victim of the accident was not trapped. Instead, the car was flipped on its top. The passenger appeared to be injured and was taken to the hospital to make sure his injuries were not life threatening. Rescue 1 returned to quarters after they were no longer needed at the scene.

When we returned to the station, the guys enjoyed a bit of down time, which is needed because of the long hours they work. Some enjoyed crossword puzzles and Sudoku games in the kitchen, so I took this time to ask questions. I asked what calls are the most common they receive and respond to. They all chimed in, “Respiratory and cardiac calls.” All firefighters are required to go through an EMT course and become certified. This is required because the fire department is often first on scene with the squad car, and firefighters need to know what to do if the EMT is going to be a few minutes or seconds behind. They act quickly and ask whatever questions are needed so they can gather the information and come to the conclusions necessary to help a patient.

In fact, at about 12:30 p.m., the alarm rang loud and the firefighters rushed off to a cardiac call at Taco Bell. They checked vitals and did their best to comfort their patient.

“Sometimes, people are angry or upset with how we act or treat them if they don’t think we are acting as urgently as they think we should,” said Jeff Hunter. “But the truth is, it’s hard to go from almost losing a patient to treating a stubbed toe.” Jeff had mentioned this because EMT calls are the ones they respond to most.

For the final medic call of the day (that I was there for), the firefighters responded to a respiratory call to a residence at 3:48 p.m. The squad car was the first on the scene, and Lieutenant Sellers, Marshal, and Darin rushed in to the residence to assist the person inside. Fire Department Medic 5 EMT arrived on the scene to assist and transport the patient to the hospital.

After that call, we returned to the firehouse and relaxed while we awaited more calls. This gave me more opportunity to ask about the hardest things they have dealt with and how they are when they go to a scene. The hardest things firefighters have dealt with were hard and not something the firefighters like to dwell on.

“When I go onto a scene that could be life threatening or could threaten the lives of others, there is just a time where emotion shuts off and training takes over,” said Kory Taylor.

Beyond the hard times, the firefighters discussed their awkward first times out on the job. It seemed like everyone had their first-time jitters, but they enjoyed sharing their stories.

Later Friday night, everyone pitched in with dinner. It was barbeque night and they went all out with brisket, sausage, beans, and potato salad. The YMCA staff had dropped in to give a donation of food to the hungry and hardworking men of the Central Fire Station.

Then at about 8:23 p.m. (my final run of the night), a fire alarm call from the Crockett National Bank building sent the team in Ladder 1 to respond. Captain Brody, Marshal, and Darin went into the building that seemed to be fine from the outside. Apparently, the sprinklers were activated. They went inside and checked everything to make sure no flames showed. Everything checked out okay, but Captain Brody said, “Even though this call was one we don’t happen to need all of the equipment we carry (which is about 50 pounds give or take), it's better to be safe than sorry.”

Although I didn’t get to see the firefighters in action at a live blaze, it was still in the back of my mind that it could happen any moment. SAFD is proud to say they have never lost a man in the line of duty. They remained hopeful for me to see them in real action so they could demonstrate why they are called ‘firefighters,’ but we weren’t so lucky. However, I have had the benefit of witnessing them on the scene when I go out to calls during my working hours. These firefighters always perform their tasks in a fast, efficient and accurate way.

“You have to love what you do when you are in a line of work like this,” said Chief Owen. “We aren’t going to get rich doing this, but it is what is needed to protect this community.”

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The day I spent with the Central Fire Department was one I will never forget. They made me want to go back to when I was younger and become a firefighter to protect the people I love. These firefighers are dedicated to keeping their community safe, and San Angelo LIVE! decided to do this Day in the Life story so San Angeloans could learn more about the men who help keep them safe.