Firefighters and Working a 24 Hr Shift at The Fire Station

I work a night shift but I actually work a twenty four hour shift. I am a firefighter with the city of Mobile Alabama. I am required to work a twenty four hour shift that requires me to report to work at 7:00 A.M. in the morning and spend the night at the fire station until 7:00 A.M. the next morning.

Working with the fire department has been a great but sometimes demanding job. When I report to work every third day I never know what kind of day I will have. Some days are slow with a few calls and others days may be busy throughout the entire shift.

I have seen people killed from gun shots, stabbings, hanging, suicide, vehicle wrecks, and industrial accidents. I see dead people or dying people on a regular basis. To do my job sometimes I have to detach my emotions and impulses to do some of the jobs I am called on to do.

My job can be very stressful and demanding and at fires my job requires giving every ounce of energy to fight a fire and then when that energy is about gone hopefully adrenalin kicks in and I get a second wind and go some more.

My job is to save lives and property and employees at my station are always trying to stay up beat and occasionally do something funny like playing a joke on someone. The scariest thing that ever happened to me was when the floor gave way and I fell through the hole and my feet touched the ground about when the floor was level with my rib cage. I bruised my ribs from the fall but that was enough because my ribs hurt for weeks.