On The Record, Vol. 3, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, July 15, 2011 Page: 31 of 39
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ingFl
Denton Department Keeps Residents Safe
At Fire Station 3 on McCormick Street,
Brian Orosco reclines in a chair and
watches "The Punisher" while drinking
a Coke.
He can only enjoy this moment of
relaxation for so long before a call
from the dispatcher alerts him and
his other team members of a medical
emergency.
A day in the life of a firefighter consists
of 24 hours of excitement and down
time, as they dedicate their lives to
helping others.
Stan Pruett, the station's usual driver,
said working as a firefighter and para-
medic is the best job n the world.
"Even though it might be a corny
answer, it's still true," Pruett said. "1 get
paid for helping people."
Life as a Firefighter
Kevin Hewell said fighting struc-
ture fires is the most exciting part of
the job.
The most challenging aspect, he said,
is trying to stay calm with patients who
are aggressive.
Beyond the Fire Truck
Jimmy Waggoner said he has been a
firefighter for 31 and a half years.
Constant education and skill improve-
ment is a part of firefighting and medical
emergency training the public is unaware
of, he said.
Some of the tra ining includes education
on hazardous materials and working with
fire victims, said Bert Witherspoon.
he public
doesn't see beyond
the red truck
and siren. /#
• Jimmy Waggoner, Denton
firefighter
"The public doesn't see beyond the red
truck and siren," Waggoner said.
Orosco said a key to the medical part
of their jobs is knowing how to reach the
person in need of help.
In Action
When the firefighters receive a dispatch
call to help with an emergency, the team
splits and loads into the fire truck and
ambulance.
The response methods are either
Code One or Code Three, Waggoner
said.
Code One means the situa-
tion isn't life-threatening and the
driver must obey traffic laws, and
Code Three signals a dangerous
situation where the driver can disre-
gard traffic lights.
Rewards
Witherspoon said one of his favorite
parts of being a firefighter is the
schedule.
Firefighters work one 24-hour shift
and then are off for the next two days,
he said.
"Every day when I come to work is
Friday," he said.
Another feature of the job is getting
to the know residents by repeat visits,
Orosco said.
"Frequent flyers" is an affec-
tionate term the team members use
when en route to a residence they've
been to several times before, Pruett
said.
"I have no idea what I'd be doing if
I didn't have this job," he said.
- Corrisa Jackson, Senior Staff Writer
32 Experience
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Zucker, Shaina. On The Record, Vol. 3, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, July 15, 2011, periodical, July 15, 2011; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth209155/m1/31/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .