10B
Tuesday, May 3, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FIGHTING FIRES
Gregory Yanish, Littleton, Colo., junior, leads a group of firefighters during practical training. Students use the rush and excitement of fighting fires as an escape from school and as a way to serve the community.
Yanish watches a movie on how to fight flaming propane gas during a training session in Topeka.
Some students have found a way to escape the monotony of walking up and down the Hill every day.
Those students race around in trucks, get dirty and take a lot of heat at a moment's notice.
This group of students fights fires.
"Every little kid wants to be a firefighter at one point in his or her life," said Jaych Rhea, Salina sophomore. "I guess it stuck with me."
Rhea is one of 17 volunteer firefighters for the Wakarusa Township, which extends around the west side of Lawrence.
Gregory Yanish, Littleton, Colo., junior, has been a volunteer for seven months, despite the fact that he is going to school and working a job.
"It takes some time to get used to it." Yanish said. "At first, it is very weird to get up in the middle of the night to respond to a fire call and then get up early to go to class."
Compared to 48 fire calls last year, the Wakarusa fire department already has received about 60 this year because of the dry weather in March and early April.
But the responsibility doesn't end there. Firefighters are also one of the first helpers in emergency situations. The fire department not only supplies the volunteers with necessary equipment but also pays for medical training classes such as CPR and other first-response training.
Yanish said he felt a sense of excitement with each call.
"Some people need to get in trouble to get a rush, but we get a rush by saving someone's life or property," Yanish said. "It is one of the most rewarding things I have done so far in my life."
"The only hard thing is to see the owner of a burning house cry when all you can do is watch it burn down," said Yanish.
Rhea said the danger of the job was part of the thrill.
"Neither of us has been in any life-threatening situations, but there is always some kind of danger," Rhea said. "If you lose your head or to be a hero, that is when people get hurt."
The job consists of more than the romantic view of firefighters risking their lives in a blaze, Rhea said.
"When people think of firefighters, they often think of the movie 'Backdraft' and the heroic side of fire fighting, but there is so much more to it," Rhea said.
Jon Truelove, Libertyville, ill., junior, said the department gave its volunteers a lot of responsibility early on.
"That is nice because it gives us a lot of hands-on experience," Truelove said. "The only way to learn abut fires is to go to them."
But Truelove said he found satisfaction in his sometimes-demanding job.
"And there is nothing more rewarding than people walking up to you to thank you for doing your job," he said.
A medical-emergency trainer explains how to put on an oxygen mask to Jon Troulove, Libertyville, Ill., junior.
Jaych Rhea, Salina sophomore, has wanted to be a firefighter all his life. As a volunteer, he has fulfilled his dream.
Rhea polishes a hubcap on one of the fire trucks. The trucks need to be cleaned after every call
Photos and Story by Martin Altstaedten
ပါ။ မှာလို့ ကြောင့် နဲ့ အသုံးပြုရင် ဖြစ်ပါတယ်။