Students volunteer time to fight fires

Charging into burning buildings, wearing pounds and pounds of protective gear and an equal amount of courage; prying victims out of a car accident, the kind of wreck that makes you cringe in passing on your way to see a loved one; and the horrific, mind-numbing experience of coming face to face with death. All of these brave, actions are just a compilation of what Nathan Bressler, Eric Neas, Joey Waddell and Evan Karanovich experience as volunteer firefighters for Baldwin County Fire Rescue.

SabrinaChandler | gcsunade.com

Evan Karanovich (top left), Eric Neas (top right), Joey Waddell (bottom left) and Nathan Bressler (bottom right) stand infront of a Baldwin County fire engine. These four students make up only part of Georgia College’s volunteer firefighters.

There seems to be a common misconception about what volunteer firefighters actually do. Some think that these guys are just around to answer phones or keep up the fire trucks. Volunteer firefighters are not only involved in any and all of the action, they are greatly depended on.
After Nathan Bressler, senior criminal justice major, began volunteering his freshman year, he realized just how trying being a firefighter and a student can really be.
“Each day is really hit or miss,” Bressler said. “You have days where it gets really busy, the beeper just keeps going off. And then you can go a week at a time with nothing.”
When it rains, it can pour for these firemen.
“One of our busiest days was when we had three structure fires and two car wrecks. They come in bunches, we go by the rule of three. If you get two, you’ll have three that day,” Bressler said.
As difficult and emotionally wearing as it is, Bressler loves it.
“I don’t think I could do anything else. I never thought I would be a firefighter until I started volunteering here. Now I don’t think I can do anything else.”
Eric Neas shares the same feelings about volunteer firefighting.
“I was interested in firefighting, but never saw the opportunity until finding out about volunteering my sophomore year.” Neas found out about volunteer firefighting from Evan Karanovich, GC’s current SGA president, who also volunteers.
Karanovich, now a senior, has been volunteering since his freshman year. “We come from a host of different backgrounds, and I just really enjoy it,” Karanovich said.
Neas is a senior accounting major. “I went to the training class and ended up falling in love with it,” he said.
Those looking to become volunteer firefighters must participate in the training course. It involves 250 hours of training over a six month time period.
“It involves written exams and numerous practicals,” Neas said.
“They teach you everything from how to get dressed to patient control, things like that,” Bressler added.
The training needed to become a volunteer is intensive, because they do much of the same things as full-timers. The difference is that the volunteers are not on “shifts.” They are on-call. Their beepers may go off at any time, including during class, which can pose a problem.
“Ninety-nine percent of my professors have been very understanding with it. Unless I miss a test, they are usually great. And the department is understanding with the fact that I am trying to earn a degree also,” Bressler explained.
Despite the difficulty of balancing work and school, the guys would have nothing different. This job builds numerous skill sets, one of the most important being trust.
“You have to trust the guy next to you. He holds your life in his hands just as much as you hold his life in yours,” Bressler said.
The volunteers also rely on each other for emotional support. “The fatalities I’ve seen, I can picture them in my head,” Neas said. “These guys are really the only ones who understand how I’m feeling when it comes to things like fatalities,” Bressler added.
In the past year, the fire department has been struggling to recruit volunteers. “It has been hard to recruit college students, because they think you can just sign up and start, but that’s not the case. You have to train,” Neas said.
Baldwin County Fire Rescue works with a “three man station.” There are only three full-timers on duty during each shift. These men rely on volunteers, because three men are just not enough a lot of the time.
“Structure fires require a page out to other district stations, but even then you may only be getting one man out,” said Bressler.
Joey Waddell joined the force as a volunteer just one week ago, after volunteering in Tifton while studying at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He is now a junior at Georgia College.
“I love it, I really do,” Waddell said when asked about volunteering.
These guys have begun a student program at Georgia College named the Georgia College Fire Brigade. It is open to all students, alumni and faculty.
“We really try to focus on fire prevention,”  said Bressler, the president of the club. Neas is the treasurer.
The group is trying to work with student housing to help educate Community Advisors on fire safety.
“You would be surprised at how many people don’t know how to use a fire extinguisher,” Karanovich said. “There are so many accidents that could have been easily prevented with the correct usage of a fire extinguisher.”
You do not have to want to become a fire fighter to join the Georgia College Fire Brigade. However, if you are interested, joining is a way of getting more information. Keep an eye out around campus and in The Colonnade for more information on how to join the group and when meeting dates are assigned.

Posted by SabrinaChandler on Sep 1 2011. Filed under Features, Lead stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.