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Im not really sure when i wanted to become a firefighter, or for that matter, even why. I have always enjoyed helping people since i can remember. In 1991 my father, who was on the fire dept at the time asked me if i wanted to take the first responders class they were having for the department. At the time, it seemed interesting. I soon found out that it came very easy to me, and found myself helping the instructor with the other firefighters who were not having such an easy time. Soon after, i went off to take my emt course.....although when the instructor asked us why we there, i really couldn't answer him, but easily made it through the class. At the end of 1992, the chief at the time, who was also my dads best friend, came to me and asked me to put my application in on the fire dept...a little concerned at first, and of course my father was none too happy, i still decided to take the challange. In 1993 i was hired as the first female on the Milan Area FIre Dept. A few of the men had concerns as well, and all werem't very happy, but given the chance, i would either prove myself, or prove to fail. I soon started taking my firefighters one training course, 4 months of book training mostly, which came easy to me. However the last 2 months.....were not as easy, with training burns. Our first training was to burn an abandoned house, my gear was on, my air pack was ready, and i was doing great, until they told me i would be the front nozzel person....I was ok, until i reached the front door of the smoke filled house, and quickly did a dead stop at the door, with chest pains starting to over take me. I backed out, took my gear off and waited for the look of disappointment from everyone, and the " I told you so's " to start. Instead i was taking to the hospital with a look of concern on my dads face. On the way home, i thought it was over and i failed to prove myself to everyone. I went back to class the next week, and a couple weeks later, after practticing an mental readiness, it was time again.....this time, i went right in, did the job and came out with a look of relief on my face as well as everyone elses. I had made it, and my dad most of all was proud of me. I soon began to go on calls with eagerness instead of fear, and was enjoying it. I was respected by friends, family, but most of all, the other fireman. It was a year later, that the saddest part of my career came. Dale heath, the man i respected as much as my father, and who had got a kick out of watching me adapt as a firefighter, had passed away from cancer. Getting through the funeral, with my new dress uniform, worn for the first time, was at one of the saddest moments of my life. Going on calls and up to the station after that, was hard, attending functions was not the same without his laugh and lame jokes. I soon figured out after that every call i went on, and every fire i went into, he was with me, keeping me safe and smiling at me, at a job well done, he became my guardian angel. As the years went by, and new members were hired, i settled into a pattern, and it became a way of life. The parades we had, the picnics, the parties at Chrstmas time, i started to realize more and more, how much i enjoyed it. There were some tough calls deaths, destruction, but in the end, the appreciation was greatly sastisfying. In 1999 personal problems interferred with my firefighting career and i had thought about giving it up, but the look on my dads face, telling me to hang in there for another year, i stayed with it and did what i could. Finally, in march of 2002, i realized for personal and proffesional reasons, it was time to put my career to rest. I needed to move on, and to let someone else take over. The hardest thing i ever had to do was write my letter of resgination, and attend my last meeting. However after 9 years of service, i will never forget what it felt like to help my community and to be a part of a bigger family. I will always appreciate life a little more, fear fire a little more, and respect what it means to be a firefighter and help out someone in need.
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