WCVB's Doug Meehan tries hand at being firefighter

WCVB’s Doug Meehan tries hand at being firefighter

BUILDING. AT FIRST GLANCE, THE IMAGE OF FIREFIGHTERS TENDING TO A CHARGED FIRE HOSE ON THE BOSTON COMMON WOULD SUGGEST SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED. BUT IN THIS CASE, JUST THE OPPOSITE. ALL RIGHT. SO WE GOT A DOWN WALL, THE BASEMENT OVER FROM EMS DRILLS TO VEHICLE EXTRACTIONS AND FIGHTING FIRES. MORE THAN A DOZEN STATE LAWMAKERS WERE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUIT UP AND SEE FIRSTHAND WHAT IT TAKES TO. PROTECT LOCAL COMMUNITIES. HOPEFULLY, THEY THEY LEARN A LITTLE MORE OF OF WHAT WE DO AND THEN THEY’LL UNDERSTAND WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THAT WE NEED IN THE FIRE SERVICE. LEOMINSTER DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF CRAIG LONG BEEN ON THE JOB FOR 35 YEARS. THIS IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE ABOUT £20 ON THIS DAY. HIS JOB WAS TO MAKE SURE I’D MAKE IT THROUGH SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE LAWMAKERS WITHOUT GETTING HURT. FROM BUNKER GEAR TO PROTECTIVE HOOD AND BREATHING APPARATUS. I WAS TO ENTER A VERY UNFAMILIAR AND FRANKLY VERY UNCOMFORTABLE PLACE. THERE’S THE GAUGE THAT TELLS YOU HOW MUCH AIR IS IN YOUR BODY, HOW MUCH AREAS OF MY BODY? 45, 25. AND HOW LONG YOU HAVE? 45 MINUTES ON 5 MINUTES, GIVE OR TAKE, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU BREATHE. YOU LOW. LOW? NO. A TRACTOR TRAILER. TRUCK RIGGED TO SIMULATE A FIRE INSIDE A HOME. MY FIRST INTRODUCTION INTO THIS DANGER. HIS PROFESSION. WE’RE GOING TO DO IS REAL SIMPLE. WE NEVER KNOW WHERE THE FIRE IS. IN THIS CASE, WE’RE VERY FORTUNATE BECAUSE. THERE’S A TRAIN AND WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE FIRE IS. IT’S IN THE BACK. AFTER A FEW LAST MINUTE INSTRUCTION BY THE GO. YEAH. OKAY. AND HE COMES. COMES UP. ALL RIGHT, WE GO. IT WAS TIME TO HEAD IN. CRAWLING ON MY KNEES. I ENTERED THE ROASTING AND CONFINED SPACE WITHIN SECONDS. SMOKE IS EVERYWHERE. AND I’M PLUNGED INTO COMPLETE DARKNESS. FIGHTING BACK. AN ALMOST OVERWHELMING FEELING OF CLAUSTROPHOBIA, I CONTINUED UNTIL I REACHED THE FIRE. I ENGAGED THE LINE AND THE BLAZE WAS EXTINGUISHED. TURNING AROUND BLINDLY FOLLOWED THE HOSE BACK TO THE EXIT. THE IDEA, TO BE HONEST I COULD NOT GET THAT MASK AND GEAR OFF FAST ENOUGH. WELL, AFTER MY BREATH AND MY WITS TRIED MY HAND AT CPR. HARD, FAST, FASTER. COME ON. AND THEN TIME TO THE JAWS OF LIFE. YOU GO MESSING AROUND WITH EACH DRILL AND CHALLENGE ANYONE WHO TOOK PART. COULDN’T HELP BUT BE HUMBLED BY A PROFESSION THAT WAS ALREADY HELD IN THE HIGHEST REGARD. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS COMING. HOPEFULLY THEY’LL LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO. AND YOU DO

WCVB’s Doug Meehan tries hand at being firefighter

Every day, firefighters and EMS professionals are out helping save lives. But what is it like to walk the in their boots and what does it take to do their job?

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