Challenges as a single mom trying also to serve the community as a volunteer fire fighter have been time. Time to dedicate to the trainings and meetings and time to be able to spend with my daughter who is in school all day and has various after school activities that I take her to during the week.
Over the winter I’ve missed a number of trainings or meetings due to my daughter being ill or just being unable to make it home from school pickup, driving home, making dinner having home work completed and being able to get out the door. One issue is that we live half an hour from everything that means everything takes longer.
Most rural areas are more in need of Volunteers in their departments. And for a number of reasons it’s sometimes hard to get the recruits necessary to be effective.
Wild land fire season is about to begin and during April I will attend a training that will qualify me to fight wild land fires federally. That is, I will not be turned away if I can help in a fire in the region. Last year over 38,000 wildfires had started in the US by June, which was a record. In New Mexico the Las Conchas Fire alone burnt more than 150,000 acres and then there was Los Alamos, and Sipapu.
Will I go out on a wild fire?
Maybe I guess that it depends on what the season brings. Ill be trained and ready to roll, in which case Ill need a safe and dependable place for my daughter to go. Wildland fire fighters actually get paid, that’s one plus. But I doubt that I will ever be a career Firefighter, my neighbor the Lieutenant for the Latir Dept., for example will be gone weeks at a time out on various fires around the country or like last year here at home. He’s a person who I would trust in just about any situation, his knowledge is astounding as a Wildlands FF, structural FF, EMT, First Responder, Sawyer and other certifications that he has along with his other life experiences gives confidence in just about any situation.
This is one of the more incredible pieces to being a volunteer. Training. Will I ever know as much as some of my piers? It depends on whether I can get dinner ready and homework done in time.
