Just passing the six year mark of the 9-11 terrorist attack in NYC, brings back to mind some of the devastation and heart ache as Americans suffered not so very long ago.

Although it has been long back, in our hearts, the pain is sometimes as fresh as just the other day. There were so many innocent lives lost, and not all of them directly from the attack.

Many lives were lost, during the rescue and excavation attempts as well. The many firefighters that responded as quickly as they were able to respond, saved numerous more lives that could have raised the death toll, that sad day.

It is these firefighters that we turn our attention to now since many of them were women. Not once during the interviews and picture taking have I seen a women firefighters being addressed.

Perhaps I have watched all the wrong channels, or read all the wrong newspapers. Just once I would like to make sure credit is given where credit is due.

The unseen side in firefighting-women firefighters:

The women firefighters at Ground Zero, as well as women everywhere that have embraced firefighting, regardless of it being mostly a “man’s world” have still to be recognized for their exemplary bravery as well as their untold sacrifices.

You might call in a smoke alarm or a smoke detector, either way; it is a necessary item for your home.

Having smoke alarms will ensure you are alerted to a possible fire and can get in contact with the fire department faster.

Smoke alarms will also let you know of danger while you sleep. Fire deaths of sleeping individuals are one of the main reasons fire death statistics are so high.

Some fire departments can provide you with working smoke detectors. They can also provide you with the proper information on installation and usage of the new smoke alarm.

You can also purchase smoke alarms at most hardware stores and general merchandise stores.

Smoke dangerous than fire:

Smoke is the leading cause of death in a fire. Most individuals die as a result of being overcome with smoke. They literally suffocate because smoke removes the oxygen from a space.

While you sleep, you have a greater risk of death associated with smoke inhalation because of the risk of not waking up in time to get out of the house.

Emergency worker is a term that covers such a multitude of job titles and descriptions.

The United States government has a listing that defines the different classes of emergency workers and the general duties expected of them.

This not, by any means, something for you to act off of, it is merely an article that attempts to educate people on the different labels for emergency workers, and how they relate in their jobs during disasters. Even before the onset of any disaster, you have to have Administration workers.

Variations in emergency workers:

Emergency workers manage the coordination of support activities as well as the recruiting and directing. Their job includes clerical, technical, and administrative duties among others.

Pilots are another class of emergency workers that are a necessity. Without these brave men and women emergency workers and their assistance by air, whether for search or rescue, there would be many more lives lost.

The aviation workers are required to be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration, and their aircraft must be approved by the FAA also.

Communications workers involve those that set up communication posts in an emergency workers sector, and enable contact where there would normally be none. These people are knowledgeable in the laws governing state and local emergency communications directives.

Standing a good chance of being burned, crushed, or killed are only a few of the risks that firefighters face in firefighting at each call they respond to, but aside from these obvious risks, are some not so obvious ones that have long term, damaging effects in their lives concerning their health and length of life.

To understand these risks in firefighting we need to be aware of them and how they will ultimately affect our futures as well.

Things to be remembered by firefighters in firefighting:

Self preservation is perhaps the most critical skill these firefighters can learn for firefighting. They are taught during their schooling and drills the importance of knowing where they are and the hazards surrounding them at all times.

There are a few pieces of mandatory equipment in firefighting to aid specifically in lessening their chances of developing long term problems.

Firefighting tools:

The first of these is their SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) which is used to filter the air around them in cases of high levels of carbon monoxide or gaseous air, as well as aiding in preventing smoke inhalation.

For anyone who has suffered the traumatic experience of a house fire, can fully understand the ramifications of total devastation to their lives.

Your entire life suffers an upheaval, over which you seemingly have no control what so ever — key word being seemingly.

House fires are definitely a life changing situation, but do not allow it to be life shattering. There are some actions you can take, following the house fire to ensure your stability, and gather a semblance of order, even if only a small one.

After the disaster of house fires:

Directly follow the house fire, if you and your loved ones have not suffered any injuries or health issues, then be grateful, and merely rest.

The shock of house fire needs to wear off, and your nerves need to straighten out before attempting to deal with anything extremely traumatic.

During the first 24 hours following the house fire, the most immediate needs you must consider are where you can stay temporarily, what medicines you may need to obtain, clothes to wear, replacement eyeglasses if you have lost yours, food, and other necessities that may arise.

Within the world of firefighting, fire is classified under five classes. This gives a better system of understanding the many types of fire that fire personnel face each day.

Each class of fire is fought differently and requires a different tactic and strategy for controlling it.

Each classification of fire is listed under wither an A class, B class, C class, D class, or K class. In the United Kingdom, Class k fires are also known as Class F.

Firefighting fire classification:

Class A fires are the fires that are more common in today’s world of firefighting. These fires are caused by combustible materials such as wood. More commonly known fires in this class are candle fires, campfires, fires resulting from a match ignition, and also lighter ignitions.

A fire triangle is what causes these fires to remain hot and consist of heat, oxygen, and a fuel source. A Class A fire requires all three to be at the right consistency or a fire can not continue.

When the material becomes hot enough to cause combustion or an open flame usually caused by a match or lighter, then the fire spreads to other materials around it.

When we think of firefighters we think of regular people who are doing a great service for our community but did you ever stop to think about what kind of traits and characteristic that person has to have to do a great job? Not everyone can do the job or has what it takes to even try.

What is it that makes a firefighter great?

The five main traits are: Being able to be resourceful, honesty, being resilient, being able to be flexible, and to be motivated tot do the job. Being a true firefighter comes from the inside out not the other way around.

A firefighter must be honest with others and also with their inner self. It seems implied that the general thought of a firefighter does not include those stealing items from the home of the fire nor from the firehouse.

Inner honesty comes when an individual can be honest with themselves about who they really are. They are able to face their shortcomings as well as their strengths and use both to the best of their ability.

Being honest about not being superheroes could very well stop a disaster from happening.

There are many different firefighter tools and pieces of equipment used today.

Some of these pieces of equipment rarely see the light of day, and others rarely see any rest.

We will discuss the firefighter tools of the trade in the next part of the article.

Firefighter tools:

The helmet, face mask, and /or visor are specially designed to protect the firefighter tools to protect head from any hard objects that might fall on them, and the visor helps to protect the eyes from any flying debris.

Turn-Out gear, also included is a turnout jacket and pants - the term ‘turn-out’ comes from the fact that the jacket and pants were most usually kept by the fireman’s bunk to be ready at a moment’s notice. They are sometimes still referred to as such, or merely the jacket and pants.

Certified NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), fire retardant gloves specially designed for the sole job of firefighting are also a necessary part of the whole outfit.

Fire resistant, water-resistant chemical and pathogen retardant boots, sporting complete steel sole and steel toe complete the gear and provide the necessary firefighter tools to protect outside of the body.

For those of you that enjoy a wonderful walk down memory lane, firefighter museums are especially for you.

The number of museums built with the sole purpose of educating people and memorializing fallen firefighters, has grown drastically in the United States alone, but other countries are also building their own firefighter museums.

These are special places to visit and immerse your self in a different world for a small amount of time. Since most of them are run solely on the goodwill of donors, many of them are quite small, but others have grown and hold important pieces of history in them, telling stories of long forgotten traditions and keeping memories of fallen heroes alive today.

Almost all fifty states in the United States have a firefighter’s museum within their home state. These are experiences from our past that beg for attention and remembrance.

Preserving the history of such a valiant job with deep roots in each community is only expected, and educating people about it is a necessity.

How many of you are able to say you know even a small portion of the history of firefighting? Not many do — not enough care.

While most of us were too young to remember 1972, many changes to the fire service were being started.

Republican President Nixon took a very unheard of step to change the fire services.

He created a special group to take a look into the issues within the fire service and come up with ways to correct these issues.

This special group was made up of those individuals who were at the top of the fire service and who had a drive to complete the task given to them.

It sounds simple enough but unfortunately what sometimes seems easy is the hardest thing you may ever do. This was not something that was small indeed.

This group or commission encountered some issues that were controversial in nature. This really shook up the fire service. The issues were not just at surface level but were delving into a depth of the fire department that some felt was better left alone.

Fire service act:

When they started questioning the deaths of citizens, preventing fires, changing things to provide more safety for those fighting fire, and dealing with the new types of high rise buildings coming up, some feathers got ruffled.