Science, communication, architecture, and health and wellness are probably not the first topics that enter the thought process when thinking about the discipline of firefighting. But this very critical career field requires that its participants be flexible and trainable enough to adapt to various situations. Indianola Assistant Fire Chief Bill Alford says an individual has to be “fluid, because you never know when a situation is going to change." The assistant chief’s one-word assessment speaks volumes about the nature of firefighting. The men and women who have chosen this career path can go from sitting quietly reading a training manual one minute to calling upon their training and skills to save someone’s life the next. Alford said of the latter, everyone involved must know and understand their roles. “When we respond to a fire, usually the captains are the ones coordinating and making decisions on the ground, which is called incident command,” Alford said. “Someone has to take charge on the scene. Captains tell firefighters who goes into a structure and who stays outside. They determine who is the pump operator and who does ventilation for the structure. They also check out the firefighters on the scene to make sure that they are wearing their SCBA’s (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) correctly.”
Needless to say, firefighting at a highly proficient level requires training and continuous education. According to the Alford, the minimum age to become a firefighter in Mississippi is 18 and the Mississippi Fire Academy training for recruits is a seven-week endeavor that involves 32 chapters’ worth of skills. “The training is setting up a foundation for the firefighter,” Alford explained. “The academy teaches the firefighter about building construction, about fire hoses, ropes and how to properly talk on the radio. The also learn about the different types of tools that firefighters use.”
Some stations hire firefighters and do not send them to academy for the first year of employment. During the rookie year, firefighters can still get training in the handling of hazardous material, rappelling and other areas before heading off to get certified. Those who look to make a career of the profession can look towards the rank structure and the specialties associated with firefighting as a road map to advancement. Firefighters can be pump operators, engineers, fire marshals and other specialists as they matriculate through their career. It is desirable, but not necessary, for a firefighter to be community-oriented as well. “We provide education programs such as talking to elementary schoolkids about fire safety and before COVID, we used to install a lot of smoke detectors in homes through a grant from the Red Cross. We also do day care inspections.” he said. “It would be great if everyone who came into the department had a community focus, but not everyone is comfortable talking in front of people.”
In general, Alford said that the firefighter should apply many of the same skills that they learned being part of a family to their interaction with their cohorts. Firefighters often spend days at a time together in the station bunking, eating meals and training. “It’s just like the typical encounters you would have at home with your family,” he said. “Someone might get a little irritated because somebody left the light on or didn’t do the dishes. It’s often called a brotherhood for a reason. It’s like being part of a family. We just need to be able to get along so that we can serve the public when we’re called upon.”
