Participants get a hands-on look at what it’s like to be a Fresno firefighter
By Craig Kohlruss
About 20 participants got a chance to put on firefighter turnout gear, cut up old cars and pull a hose up a flight of stairs during the annual Firefighter for a Day event hosted by the Fresno Fire Chief’s Foundation and the Fresno Fire Department at the Fresno Fire training grounds downtown on Saturday.
“This is an opportunity for folks to understand what we do and how we do it so that they have a better understanding of what we do to protect the public,” said Fresno Fire public information officer Johnathan Lopez.
“Amazing!” is how Alexa Dandridge of Fresno characterized her experience.
“Everything has been really really cool and really informational” she said. “I’ve learned a lot so far.”
“I knew it was physical,” said Dandridge, whose father is a firefighter. “But it’s extremely physical,” she added.
Even 14-year-old Rusty Davis of Clovis got a chance to don the estimated 40 to 50 pounds of gear on his slight frame.
“It’s kinda cool to get to be able to do all the stuff that you used to see on TV shows and movies for a day,” he said.
“And it kind of lets you see if this is what you want to be when you’re older as your career,” Davis added.
A similar event hosted by the Fresno Fire Department and Fresno Fire Chief’s Foundation is coming up in November.
The Girls Empowerment Camp is another free event that will be open to girls ages 14 to 18 and feature many of the same activities as well as a few more, said Lopez.
That camp will be open to 80 participants and currently still has openings, said Lopez. It is meant to give young women and girls an introduction to the fire service so they can consider it as a possible career choice or at least try something new.
Fresno Fire Explorer Cece Bispo uses a hydraulic extrication tool on a vehicle during the Fresno Fire Department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Rusty Davis, 14, of Clovis, operates a fire hose from the Fresno Fire Department’s training tower during their annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Alexa Dandridge prepares to crawl through drainage pipes to experience a search-and-rescue scenario during the Fresno Fire Department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Fresno Fire Captain Will Johnson helps Rusty Davis, 14, of Clovis with his self-contained breathing apparatus during the Fresno Fire Department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Various drills take place at the Fresno Fire Department’s training grounds in downtown Fresno during their annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Fresno firefighter Alexis Rumbolz leads a tour through the Fresno Fire Department’s historic Fire Station 3 during the department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Elijah Dandridge, right, uses a hydraulic cutter while learning extrication techniques on a vehicle with his sister Alexa Dandridge, center, and Fresno firefighter Bailey O’Dell during the Fresno Fire Department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Carmen Iniguez of Fresno climbs out of a cellar after crawling through ventilation tubes in a search-and-rescue drill during the Fresno Fire Department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Rusty Davis, 14, of Clovis puts on a firefighter’s turnout gear during the Fresno Fire Department’s annual “Firefighter for a Day” event where citizens can get an inside look at the job of a firefighter, at the department’s training grounds in Fresno on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
