Aiken Times

City of Greenwood issued the following announcement on January 25.

Article & photo by: GREG K. DEAL gdeal@indexjournal.com

Life inside a firehouse is not that different from life inside any home.

“It’s actually just like a second family,” Greenwood City Fire Department Lt. Russell Cline said. “You work with the guys. You live with the guys. We play together. We eat together. We fuss together. We’re just like any other family you would see. This is our home life now for the rest of the night, unless something happens.”

The Index-Journal spent a night inside Station 1 on South Main Street in Greenwood to provide insight on the life of firefighters.

“Every second, we are anticipating a call,” said firefighter Andrew Bossler, who has been with the department for 2½ years. “You never know. We might get one right now or we might go all night and not get a call. I’m mentally prepared.”

And, sure enough, the group of seven members working the C Shift had just finished the fajitas that Capt. Eric Wilson cooked on the flattop grill when a call came in about 6:40 p.m. about a possible fire at a Lander University dorm.

Like with every call, the firefighters — who were looking forward to watching the college football national championship game on this night — had to depart and race to the call. There wasn’t an actual fire, but instead an issue with a hot-water heater.

“We’ll cut everything off and leave,” said Cline, who started volunteering in 1997 and has been with the Greenwood City Fire Department for the past 14 years. “It doesn’t matter what you are doing. When the call comes out, it’s time to go.”

They are always readyThere are three shifts — A, B and C — at Station 1, with generally eight people per shift. They are split among truck company and engine company. Firefighters work 24-hour shifts, then are off for 48 hours.

Truck company, which has a tower and ladder, deals with search and ventilation. Engine company generally works on fire containment. There are three stations in Greenwood. Station 1 is the busiest and has the most workers per shift. Firefighters respond to more than fires. They go to medical calls and vehicle crash scenes. They carry extraction equipment on the truck.

When the firefighters are at the station, life goes on similar to how it goes anywhere else — until a call comes in. They eat, sleep, train, exercise, maintain equipment, play games and watch TV. If dispatch tones go off during the middle of the night, it’s time to go to work, even if they are sleeping.

“It is tough going from a dead sleep to an adrenaline rush,” said driver Danny Gunter, who has been with the department for 17 years. “You’ve got to go, regardless.”

Bunkrooms are equipped with two poles for when firefighters have to descend to where the firetrucks are housed.

“During the night, if we were to get a call, we just put on our gear and slide down the pole, hop on the truck and take off,” Cline said. “Usually, we’re out of here in a minute or less.”

It can be a bit dizzying at times.

“Most of the time I don’t even know where I’m at until I’m on the truck,” said Bossler, who began the journey into his career at age 16 when he was a junior firefighter in Abbeville.

Brotherhood builds trustEach firefighter said the brotherhood they experience inside the firehouse translates to trust in the field.

“We spend a third of our life together,” said driver Chez Gosnell, who has been with the department for six years. “Our families know each other. That builds the bond and makes the brotherhood even stronger. And then when you’re here on the fire ground, there’s nothing I don’t trust all of these guys with. Ultimately, they’re in charge of my life in a call. Regardless of whether you are driving the truck or in the fire, everyone has a vital role on the scene.”

Developing a relationship that leads to trust is critical, Gunter said.

“We know what each other is going to do on the fire scene,” he said. “You get to know the guys and their families. It’s just one big family. You just know what everybody can do and what they are capable of, and we just click that way.”

You can’t second-guess yourself going into a building that’s on fire, Gosnell said.

“You’ve got to know they can put the fire out so you can do your search as thorough as possible,” he said. “I would go hang off the highest building we have with these guys. They are topnotch.”

During downtimes, the firefighters train, lift weights, clean the firehouse and perform equipment maintenance. After their regular day ends at 5, they eat, play games, relax or talk with each other. At least until a call comes in.

“We can be chilling out one minute and then have to do a house fire with someone entrapped,” said Lt. Chad Israel, who has been with the department for nine years. “It can go from zero to 100 really fast. You build trust around the station.

“If I go inside (a building fire) with another guy, and it’s burning all around us, I still know that guy is not leaving my side. He’s going to stick with me, no matter what. I have full faith that the guys up here, no matter the situation when we go inside, they aren’t going to leave my side, ever.”

Israel said trust among the crew is also built during training and workouts.

“Just knowing they are giving their best during a slow time, you know they are going to give their best during fast-paced times,” Israel said. “That keeps you motivated.”

Aside from ribbing each other, there is a high level of competition among the crew that molds their bond.

“Everybody up here is competitive, and that’s what keeps us going,” Gunter said. “It really helps with training.”

The ‘best job in the world’The firefighters describe their work as “the best job in the world.”

“It’s a passion thing,” said Lt. Nick Meredith, who has been with the department for 12 years. “You enjoy doing it. You’re not going to find a job to replace it.”

Israel said there is something new every day, and that inspires him.

“How many other jobs can you say you do rope rescue missions off the side of a water tower?” Israel said. “We go inside places people are not supposed to go inside of, whether it be a confined space or hazardous material instance. It’s a job, but it’s also an adventure. Each call we go to is something a little bit different. It keeps things interesting.”

Cline said firefighting is a job not many people can do.

“The physical demands for it are kind of high,” he said. “The time away from home is also high. A lot of people are just not willing to make that sacrifice. We’re constantly helping people on a day-to-day basis. To me, it’s just a great job — one of the best jobs you can have.

“Nobody stays in it to get rich. Each person in here feels like it was something they were meant to do. Everybody in here feels like they have something to offer and has a passion for doing this type of work.”

Meredith said you “need to have an incredible work ethic and a passion for it.”

Gosnell said that, ever since he was a kid, he wanted to be a firefighter. He took a detour en route to his goal. He first went to Lander to pursue nursing, but he then decided to major in exercise science. Not wanting to go to physical therapy school, he decided to apply for an open position at the fire department.

“It’s a calling,” Gosnell said. “It’s definitely a passion. You’re obviously not going to get rich doing it. You’ve got to have ambition to be a firefighter. The gratitude you get from knowing that you’re on the other end of a call when somebody is having their worst time, and you are going to help them, is what drives us and motivates us to be the best that we can be.”

Wilson, who has been at the department for 25 years, knew what he wanted to do when he was a child.

“I liked fire engines, and I liked trains,” Wilson said. “It was one of the two, and I ended up here.”

Wilson, who said his roles range from training to serving as a motivator, likes that the job is different every day.

“It’s unique,” he said. “I love training. I love being with the guys.”

What does Wilson look for in someone wanting to be a firefighter?

“They have to be motivated and have the right attitude,” he said. “Most of the guys here are Type A personalities, go-getters.”

The emotional side of the jobThe firefighters on Shift C at Station 1 said their bond with each other helps them take care of their emotional health, especially since they sometimes see death and destruction.

“There is free counseling that is offered by the state if anyone needs it,” Cline said. “A lot of times, we kind of deal with it ourselves. We’ve got a lot of great guys up here.”

Cline said he’s often asked what’s the worst thing he’s ever seen.

“I never answer that question,” he said. “I always go around it. A lot of it is what kind of jobs we do and what kind of calls we run.”

Meredith said you have to have a mindset of making the best out of your day, no matter what you face. Gunter said most of the time, the firefighters talk at the firehouse about the tragedies they witness in the field.

“You can get a lot of stuff off your chest,” Gunter said. “We’re like family. If we have an issue, we’ll discuss it like family. I don’t take it home.”

Israel said the joking that happens around the station helps with stress relief.

“The big thing they are pushing among firefighters nationwide is physical fitness,” he said. “It helps out not just with staying fit but with mental toughness.”

Station 1 has a workout facility on the second floor. The crew works out during every shift.

“On slow days, we spend a lot of time training,” Israel said. “Training is very key to staying at the peak of our performance.”

Israel said he wanted to belong to something bigger than himself and contribute to the community. As a firefighter, he found his niche.

“My wife is the one who kind of directed me getting into this job,” he said. “She saw how much I loved it in the volunteer world. She kind of said, ‘Why don’t you go do it full time, because you love it so much? Go do what you love.”

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