Rusty Lyndsay talked about being a firefighter on Oct. 17 in Gym B during PRIDE Time. Most of Lyndsay’s experience is in emergency services. 

One of the things that Lyndsay discussed was certifications. Lyndsay said back in 1983, there were not many certifications, and most fire departments trained in–house. Later on, a nationwide certification program was created. Nowadays, for some programs, firefighters will need Firefighting 1, Firefighting 2, Hazmat Awareness, Hazmat Ops and Hazmat Tech.  

According to Lyndsay, there is a misconception that firefighters get paid a lot of money, but that is simply not true.  

Lyndsay said that firefighting is mainly a volunteer or a paid-per-call career. There are some paying firefighter positions, but volunteer basis is the most common. County and city departments are typically volunteer, but some are a combination. 

He also said that the ones who do make a wage do not get paid that much. If students are thinking about going into the fire service, they should not go into it for the money. Lyndsay said he recommends that those interested in firefighting try to find a department runs an ambulance and that they should look at certification as a paramedic. 

The bad thing about being a firefighter in a small community is that you know everyone.  

“It’s emotional and can be very stressful,” Lyndsay said. “Although, the company now has programs to help with coping.” 

20maustin@usd489.com