We all know and love the service men and woman of this country Firefighters for instance have very important and sometimes even scary jobs! Not everybody has the courage these amazing people do. Now it's time to take a look into their lives and find out 5 things you didn't know about firemen (and firewomen. Yes, women are firefighters too).

5. Most firemen are volunteers.

That's right. 75% of all firemen are actually volunteers. They choose to run into burning buildings and save lives, not for the fame or fortune but to just help out their community. And they don't even get paid.

Firemen Pulling hose
Courtesy Morrisville Fire Dept.
loading...

 4. Firemen enter buildings with temperatures greater than what you cook meat at in your oven.

A burning building typically reaches 600 degrees on the bottom floor and can get up to typically 1500 degrees in the ceiling! Most people don't cook their food at more then 450 degrees.

Barn on Fire
Courtesy Morrisville Fire Dept.
loading...

3. It takes a lot of training before a fireman can legally enter any burning building.

Before a fireman can legally enter a burning building as an interior firefighter, they need a minimum of 100 hours of training.

firemen pulling hose
Courtesy Morrisville Fire Dept.
loading...

2. Firefighters are expected to get dressed in less then 2 minutes.

They need to have everything on in less then 2 minutes! This includes their turnout gear and SCBA (what they use to breathe with in burning buildings) correctly in less than 2 minutes. All of that gear plus the tools to do the job can weigh anywhere between 80 to 120 pounds.

Firemen
Courtesy of Morrisville Fire Dept.
loading...

1. Firefighters and EMTs have 1 hour from the time the incident occurs to get the patients to the hospital and seen by a doctor.

For patients involved in a motor vehicle accident, strokes or heart attacks the firefighters along with the EMTs only have 1 hour, also known as the golden hour, from the second the accident takes place to get the patients to the hospital and seen by a doctor. That might sound easy enough, but that is not the case.That 1 hour timer starts before anybody even gets the chance to call 911. That means in that 1 hour you have to call 911, the firefighters and EMTs need to be dispatched from the 911 center get to the station and in their gear, get on the trucks, get to the scene and assess the situation, get the patient in an ambulance and to the hospital safely and seen by a doctor! That is a lot to do in a short window. So moving over for red and blue lights can help someone get the help they need in time. Although in number 5, it's stated that 75% of firefighters are volunteers, volunteer ranks are dwindling. If you think this is appealing and you want to help out your community in such an amazing and selfless way, I encourage you to please stop by your local fire department and volunteer.

Barn Fire
Courtesy Morrisville Fire Dept.
loading...

More From Lite 98.7