The Firehouse Door That Opened My World

It’s hard to know how many people read these posts, but part of why I’m writing is to share who I am as a person — the real parts, the pieces that shaped me. One of the biggest things outside of my family and kids is that I’ve spent years volunteering for the fire department and ambulance. That part of my life started early, long before adulthood or responsibility ever crossed my mind.

September 14th, 2004 — just a couple of days after my 14th birthday — was the night everything changed for me. It was a Tuesday evening I’ll never forget, the night I walked into the local fire station and signed up for the Cadet Program. Like most kids, I had a fascination with big trucks, but my other dream was to be a firefighter. The problem was you can’t become one until you’re eighteen. Luckily, the town I lived in had a Fire Explorer program.

For those who don’t know, the Fire Explorer program is a youth program run through the Boy Scouts of America that gives teens a chance to learn about the fire service and emergency response. It’s not full firefighting, but it’s hands-on training, basic skills, teamwork, and real exposure to what the job is really like. Explorers learn everything from hose handling and ladders to first aid, leadership, and how a fire department actually operates. It’s meant for young people who want to explore the field, gain experience, and be part of something bigger than themselves.

My father drove me to the station that first night. We met with the advisor, went over the details of the program, and he signed the permission slip. That was it — I was officially in. When I think back now, I can still remember almost every detail of that evening. It was one of the most exciting nights of my life. A lot of the kids in the program were people I already knew from school or around town, so it felt easy to be around them.

Still, like any new group or social environment, there was that fear in the back of my mind — Will I fit in? Will they like me? Those thoughts can be crippling at that age. I remember sticking close to the people I knew well and keeping my distance from the ones I didn’t. It took time, but eventually that changed.

Being part of that program took the idea of becoming a firefighter from a childhood dream to a real passion. Plenty of kids say they want to do it. Some follow through, others don’t. For me, the program cemented it. I was hooked.

About two years into my time as an Explorer, my family relocated, and I had to leave the department I started in. It was tough, but I found a spot in a small department in our new town — and funny enough, it ended up pulling my father and brother into the fire service too. We took our classes together, trained side by side, and all three of us earned certification as interior firefighters.

That move changed more than just my address — it marked the beginning of a new chapter, one that would shape the next part of my journey in ways I didn’t expect. But that’s a story for another day.