First In, Last Out

ISABELLE KLISCH, Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy of Isabelle Klisch

Picture this: you’re enjoying a quiet evening at home, sleeping, when the radio comes to life with calls for help. The adrenaline rush begins, the clock starts, "now." As you run to the car, not a single soul is in sight. As you rush to the station, a crew of weary-eyed firefighters assemble with a sense of urgency expressed by the senior members. There is a race to get a seat on the first truck out. Red lights flashing, bringing color to the late-night sky, the sirens breaking the silence of the night.

As you arrive, a wall of flames stares at you. Just then, all of your training kicks in. Captain Joey Ciccarelli states, “When I step out of the truck and see the house covered in flames, I feel my heart pounding, adrenaline pumping through my veins, but my training kicks in and helps steady my mind.”

Officers shout commands, and equipment is deployed as firefighters prepare to fight the beast that is devouring the home before them. All of these experiences are events that occur and take place during just one fire call. “The most rewarding part of the job is having the opportunity to directly help the community when it's needed the most,” firefighter Chris Golubieski said.

As an overall job, firefighters are constantly overlooked and never truly seen nor supported for what they do and how much they give to their community. They are people with a burning desire to protect and to help. They have families a risk their lives to save others'. They are the first ones running in and the last ones to come out. They risk their lives daily, to help serve and protect others.

In North Brunswick, the fire departments are 100 percent volunteer. Chief Sammy Georgianna said, “I would recommend that anyone who want to take the steps to become a firefighter spend as much time as they can at their local volunteer firehouse. If applicable, take in as much as you can about different tasks and job assignments around the firehouse; ask a lot of questions."

Photo courtesy of Isabelle Klisch

The fire department is a family and a home away from home. According to firefighter Logan Marguiles, "I have been in the fire department for 2 and a half years. Joining the fire department is one of the things I am most proud of doing; I am happy I joined and got the privilege to learn the things I learned and bonded with the people I now call family.” Behind every siren and every brave response is a bond that runs deeper than duty. Vice President Chelsie Repka said, “It's important we all get along and coexist while running a 100% volunteer organization where people's lives depend on these firefighters, but also their own lives depend on each other and their training.”

At the end of the day, they all have one thing in common: They are proud of the skills they’ve learned, the desire to help and protect those in the community, and being able to be someone to look up to and hopefully inspire others as well.

“I always tell new members one of the hardest things to do is come up on your first day. If it's something you have any interest in, don't wait,” Assistant Chief Dom Ciccarelli said, “However, being a firefighter is a very dangerous job, whether it's volunteer or career. So you have to be willing to come up as much as you can and train as much as possible.”