Putting Out the Fires

There are some things you can’t learn from a textbook.

Currently 14 graduate and undergraduate students from Millersville University volunteer at Blue Rock Fire Rescue on East Charlotte Street. These student firefighters are both males and females and come from a wide variety of majors – from early childhood education to meteorology.

The decision to become a firefighter is not easy – there are long hours of training involved, the risk of putting yourself in dangerous situations and the chance that a call could come at just about any time.

“I have learned that you have to be ready at a moment’s notice as soon as you hear your pager activate,” said Katie Prichard, a junior majoring in meteorology and environmental hazards and emergency management.

“We never know when we’re going to get a call or how many we will get a day,” said Philip Gregg, a senior majoring in middle level education. “Some days it’s none, and other days it can be five or more.”

When a call does arrive, the feeling is unlike anything else.

“There is a tightness in your chest when you’re going to a call you know is going to be bad, and you realize that you’re the team coming to save the day. It’s a feeling of excitement and nervousness all wrapped into one because you can’t mess up,” said Gregg. “Most of us spend hundreds of hours training and take special classes to get certified to do what we do, but you still have to remember you have to be careful and remember what you were taught.”

“I always have that slight fear of uncertainty whenever I am jumping on the apparatus and running out the door,” said Joseph Seborowski, a graduate student in emergency management. “But, that fear is easily pushed aside to completely focus on the problem at hand and do the tasks in a safe and effective manner.”

When you ask them why they joined, each student elicits a different response. For some, it is all in the family.

“As with the majority of firefighters in society today, my father and grandfather have been involved for a long time, so I am a third generation firefighter,” said Seborowski. “I wanted to continue to run with a fire department when I attended Millersville University.”

For others, it was a major decision in choosing Millersville University as their school.

“When picking colleges, a close fire department was a requirement of mine,” said Samuel Aquino, a freshman majoring in applied engineering and technology management. “When selecting dorms, I picked the one closest to Blue Rock,”

Despite all their individual reasons, there is one overarching motivation that is a driving force behind each student joining Blue Rock.

“Most of us do it because we want to help people and give back to our community,” said Gregg, “It is also nice being able to be a part of something bigger then yourself.  You’re a part of a team; a family that has a mission. You receive training and you learn how to do things most other people have never thought of doing. I love learning and helping people. I think that is my intrinsic motivator to continue on.”

“Personally, I get an adrenaline rush responding to calls that not many other activities come close to,” said Nick Oakes, a senior at Millersville majoring in occupational safety and environmental health. “I feel as though I really belong to this organization and I get a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I am helping my community.”

While many volunteers travel to the front lines during a call, some stay back to ensure operations runs smoothly and to promote fire safety and education to the public.

“As an education major, it is a really inspiring way to use my knowledge and passion,” said Jillian Herrschaft, a senior majoring in early childhood education who plans public events for Blue Rock. “I was around firefighters a lot and realized how amazing and inspiring what they do is. I decided I wanted to use my own skills to help the ones who help others every day.”

During down times, many of the students can still be found at the fire hall studying, training or simply enjoying time with their Blue Rock family.

“I was really drawn to the fire service because of my interest in giving back to the community and the brotherhood that I saw my friends back home were a part of,” said Oakes. “I was going to wait until my second semester when I came to Millersville before joining with Blue Rock, but every time I heard the siren go off, I couldn’t stand waiting anymore.”