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The Evolution of Firefighters


By KMVT News

Twin Falls, Idaho ( KMVT-TV / KTWT-TV ) A firefighter's duties go far beyond what their job title suggests.

You may think firefighters only take action when fires break out, but that's not the case. In reality, firefighters spend a lot more time in the classroom than they do at the scene of a fire.

Twin Falls Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Aguirre explains, "On a typical workday, especially this time of the year, whether it be firefighting training or high angle rescue training or driver training, we'll spend two to three hours."

That's two to three hours a day behind a desk, because the role of a firefighter has evolved in a big way over the last 20 years.

Aguirre says, "Some years ago we decided that, we had come to the point where we knew we were gonna have to expand, you know with the population getting bigger and the more demand on the department was being created."

Those demands have expanded firefighters' job title to include things like hazardous materials response, emergency medical response, high angle rescue and confined space rescue.

With the specialized training comes several certifications that firefighters have to renew each year. And when they're not responding to a call or hitting the books, they're taking part in real-life training exercises.

However, there are some parts of the job that no amount of training can prepare them for.

Aguirre says, "You know, whether it be a fire and there's a family put out just because of the fire or whether it be someone's been burned or involved in a very bad accident. And you know, we do deal with that as a family. Anytime I go on a car wreck and there's, you know, kids involved or teenagers, which I have, you know it kind of touches a little special spot and you wanna take that little bit of extra care."

Compassion, combined with top of the line training and equipment that could help save your life one day.

Another interesting fact about the Twin Falls Fire Department, the station has never had a full-time, female firefighter.

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