The purpose of conducting this paper was to establish whether the people knew what the work of firefighters entailed, the risks involved, the pay they earn and their usefulness to the society. Information was gathered through giving out questionnaires to ten participants. The paper has established that people do not appreciate the work done by firefighters and also that there exists a lot of misconceptions in so far as the amount that firefighters earn is concerned.
It is very important to analyze the work of firefighters because they are very important persons in our lives in that they usually come to our assistance when we are in need in the time of emergencies and in particular during fire outbreaks and/or accidents. It must be noted from the onset that it is the researcher’s assertion that the fact that firefighters assist us so much in life notwithstanding the society does not come to the aid of the firefighters and therefore they remain a profession that is not afforded the necessary protection in comparison with other professions. It is very critical therefore as the victims of fire accidents that we take care of ourselves and to avoid situations that lead to fire accidents so that we may have the number of fire accidents reduce drastically and in effect reduce the work of firefighters.
The researcher is well seized of the fact that firefighters earn their money and in essence their daily living from fighting fire accidents and outbreaks but there are those who are employed by the state departments and therefore public servants and who don’t require to work on daily basis for them to earn their salaries but they are always called upon to thwart fire accidents in the event of an occurrence. Many scholars have endeavored to research about firefighters regarding different aspects of their work and the effects that ensue as a result of the work that firefighters do. The researchers have gone deeper into explaining route navigation as regarding how firefighters should undertake how to navigate the places where fire outbreak has occurred, the diseases that occur as a result of being in the profession as well as the stress that emanates after rescue operations.
In a nutshell, the researcher was motivated by three things so as to endeavor to research about firefighters. Firstly, the researcher was motivated to write about firefighters because there seems to be little that has been written about firefighters despite the fact that the professional is a potential profession of interest in so far as the writing of academic papers is concerned. Secondly, the researcher was concerned by the way people treated firefighters as well as the risks that firefighters are exposed to in the course of their duty and therefore the urgent need for a clear understanding of such risks. Finally, the researcher had the urge to bring to light on how to proceed forward with a rescue operation in the event that a fire outbreak occurred in a building which the firefighters were not familiar with.
Wagner, Heinrichs and Ehlert attempt to discuss the post-traumatic stress that firefighters in Germany suffer from as a result of engaging in fire rescue operations because of the events that unfold before their eyes when they are rescuing the victims from the fire (Wagner, Heinrichs and Ehlert, 1998). It is the researchers assertion that any reasonable man in the position of a firefighter will also be susceptible to suffering from stress as some of the images will later on keep recurring in the minds of such persons and therefore because firefighters are also human they are bound to suffer from such stress. Wagner, Ehlert and Heinrichs also analyze the comorbid symptoms after conducting a research survey on former firefighters.
Torr in his book explains what plans firefighters can adopt in protecting high profile facilities and buildings in the event of a terrorist attack (Torr, 2004). It is the researcher’s opinion that emphasis should not be in the event of a terror attack because most fire outbreaks that occur are not as a result of fire attack. Kern, D.G., Neill, M.A., Wrenn, D.S. and Varone in their paper explain about space cluster of sarcoidosis in firefighters. It is their hypothesis that the reason that firefighters suffer from sarcoidosis is because of being exposed to smoke or through an infection like chlamydia pneumonia (Kern, D.G., Neill, M.A., Wrenn, D.S. and Varone, 1993). This hypothesis can be put to test by asserting that sarcoidosis is not necessarily brought about by smoke and chlamydia pneumonia infection. This is because sarcoidosis is usually as a result of the immune system of the body fighting infections by releasing white blood cells which kill germs leading to inflammation of body tissues in the particular area (Newman & Newman, 2012).
In navigating buildings that are new to firefighters when conducting rescue operations, the firefighters will likely be unable to find their way around the building. It is this problem that Bliss, Guest and Tidwell try to provide a solution to. The said writers conduct and a survey and group firefighters in different groups and train them and the outcome is that the firefighters who undertake the training respond better in a mock fire rescue operation in a new building in comparison to those who did not undertake the training (Bliss, Guest and Tidwell, 1997). The researcher agrees to the findings of these scholars because it goes without saying that a person who undertakes training will always supersede one who does not undertake the training in a particular area.
Method
In conducting this research, the researcher issued questionnaires to ten students so as to establish whether they well understood this profession and results were collected from all the ten students and analyzed. The purpose of choosing the questionnaire was because they are not only easy to administer but you can regulate the information that you want from the participants.
Results
The answer is to how much the students thought firefighters earned per year was that six students believed that they earned between $60000-90000, three students said that it was between $35000 and $55000 whereas one student replied that it was between $20000 and $45000
The answer as to whether the students were aware of any risks and/or diseases that firefighters exposed themselves was that nine of the surveyed students saw that the job was stressful and that the firefighters risked getting burned while conducting the rescue missions whereas one student answered that he did not see any risk that came along with being a firefighter.
As regards whether the student knew what the work of firefighters entailed all agreed that they are the people who are tasked with saving lives and properties in the event of a fire outbreak. All students agreed that the profession is very important to the society.
Discussion
From the results gathered it became clear to the researcher that many students thought firefighters earned very much contrary to the situation on ground because the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that a firefighter earned an average of $47,720 per annum.
It is also evident from the results that students appreciated that appreciated the risks that firefighters exposed themselves to when doing rescue operations as well as the usefulness of the profession to the society. Indeed, the students also understood the job description of firefighters.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is the researcher’s assertion that all the students did not give any disease that a firefighter can suffer as a result of his or her work and therefore it means that such information has not been publicized. Further, most of the students thought that firefighters earned so much and therefore this means that the salaries of firefighters is less in comparison to the duties they undertake.
Recommendations
The researcher is of the opinion that the following recommendations should be given effect so as to improve the work of firefighters:
1. Revise their salaries upwards.
2. Educate people about the dangers involved in the profession.
3. Teach firefighters on how to navigate buildings they are unfamiliar with in the event of a fire accident.
REFERENCES
Bliss, J.P., Tidwell, P.D. and Guest, M.A., 1997. The effectiveness of virtual reality for administering spatial navigation training to firefighters. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 6(1), pp.73-86.
Kern, D.G., Neill, M.A., Wrenn, D.S. and Varone, J.C., 1993. Investigation of a unique time space cluster of sarcoidosis in firefighters. American Review of Respiratory Disease, 148(4_pt_1), pp.974-980.
Newman, K. L., & Newman, L. S. (2012). Occupational causes of sarcoidosis. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology, 12(2), 145.
Torr, J.D., 2004. Responding to Attack: Firefighters and Police. Lucent Books
Wagner, D., Heinrichs, M. and Ehlert, U., 1998. Prevalence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in German professional firefighters. American Journal of Psychiatry, pp. 1727- 1732.
Appendix A
1. How much money do you think a firefighter earns in a year?
2. Do you know what the work of a firefighter entails? If yes, describe
3. Do you think firefighters are useful in the society?
4. Are you aware of any risks/diseases firefighters expose themselves to in discharging their duties? If yes, state them
knowldge on firefighters
Series 1 Salary Job Description Usefulness Risks/Diseases 6.0 10.0 10.0 4.5 Series 2 Salary Job Description Usefulness Risks/Diseases 3.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 Series 3 Salary Job Description Usefulness Risks/Diseases 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
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