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Junior firefighters get a lesson in life |
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Two high school boys learn about responsibility fighting fire, and saving lives.
By
SHARON FURFARO |
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DUNCANNON, Pa. - Nathan A. Hatcher, 18, juggles family, homework, church, and saving lives. Nate, as he prefers to be called, is a firefighter and an emergency medical technician (EMT) in training. Hatcher said he was interested in fire and fire trucks as a child, and collected fire truck replicas. He filled out an application to join the Duncannon Fire Co. at age 14, and has been involved with the fire station ever since. My mom complains that Im never home, he said laughing. My cell phone is...its my only contact with the outside world, when Im on call or at the station. Hatcher said he learned a lot about fires over the past four years. Most people dont realize that there are different types of fires, and the rules...it would be crazy without order, you know, you have to learn the protocol. Different types of fires include car, prop, mountain, and structure fires. Hatcher explained that the worst fire is a structure fire, for example a house fire, because of the extensive loss of property and danger to firefighters lives. Hatcher is trained to handle hazardous waste spills and automobile accidents, as well as fires. In February, Hatcher had an encounter with the dangers of a structure fire. He and some fellow firefighters were on the roof of the Red Carpet Inn trying to cut an outlet for the heat building up inside, when the roof collapsed underneath his feet. It was the shock of it more than anything, I was okay. But it reminds you that danger of it all is real, he said. Hatchers experience with accidents and fires inspired him to get involved with ambulance work. He is now a Duncannon EMT. He recently started taking classes through Harrisburg Area Community College. He is a certified EMT driver, which means he will be able to drive ambulances when he is 21. When Hatcher wears his firefighter equipment - pants, jacket, gloves, boots, an air pack, tools he can be about 75 to 90 pounds heavier than normal, making his work even harder. I definitely get a workout, he said. There are a few rules at an accident scene Hatcher said he learned early on. The first is that whoever is first on the scene is in charge. He noticed that most of the time, the fire truck arrives first at a scene. The leader of the first group to arrive is called the officer in charge, or OIC. Their job is to inform the following groups, like the police and EMT crew, what has occurred and what needs done. If theres an injured person, thats where I come in, Hatcher said. He said that while someone is in the vehicle, its his responsibility to keep them alive and get them out. Once they are out of the vehicle, the person is released to the care of the EMT ambulance. When the police arrive, they determine the speed of the vehicles and what happened by looking at the skid marks and shattered glass. The fire station is not allowed to sweep the glass until the police give them the go-ahead. Hatcher said that although they usually let the fire chief handle the media, occasionally he and fellow firefighters respond to media questions. I cant release any names, ages, or addresses, nothing like that, but we can tell [the media] what happened and explain how the vehicles collided, he said. Other firefighters at the Duncannon Fire Co. said they like working with Hatcher and learn from him. Ethan May is a 15-year-old junior firefighter who has worked with Hatcher on several accidents. I cant do as much as him because of my age, May said, I do a lot more than people think, though. I pull hose lines, sweep glass off the road, get the tools out of the rig theyre heavy, by the way. May said its a good feeling to know that he has helped to save lives. He said sometimes its really hard to deal with emotionally, but the older firefighters showed him to do what needs done and that its okay to be emotional later. Not too long ago, my friend was in a wreck that we responded to. It was really bad...I thought she was dead. As it turns out, his friend survived the accident, and she suffered only minor injuries. May said that they were taught in training that it was very possible to lose a friend, who was a firefighter on a scene, or show up at a scene and learn that the person trapped in the vehicle is a friend. Youve just gotta be strong on the scene, wait until later to react personally, May said, Nate and the rest of the team and I, we save lives. Thats what we have to do. All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors. You may email comments about this story to: saf171@psu.edu
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