Recently someone made an offhanded comment that I had been an “old school firefighter.” The comment came as a surprised. To me “old school” harkened back to the days of “iron men and wooden  ladders” when one of the men I interviewed was told by a chief on the fire scene, “Son, where are you going with that mask? You’re going to have to learn to take a belly full of smoke if you want to be a fireman.”

 The fire service has changed quite a bit since that comment and old school is a relative term. So what is old school for guys like me now?

Old School Firefighting (first due engine):

 - Pull your boots up

 -Throw a steel tank on your back (Weighed 40 lbs)

 - Stretch a line through the front door

 - Get to the seat of the fire

 - If your ears aren’t hot, you’re not pushing in hard enough

 - Knock the fire down

 - Go out to drop your tank then go right back in to overhaul

 - Load the hose and go to the next job

 That’s the way I remember it being done back in the day. (40 years ago) I don’t know that it’s changed that much. The overall goal remains the same. Protect lives and property. Everybody goes home.  The nuanced differences haven’t affected the dedication and sacrifices of firefighters. That’s what counts.