Episode 2: Firefighter.
This is Jobs 30u30 - a series where I try my childhood dream jobs to decide what I wanna do when I grow up. This was an incredibly interesting episode that my team and I loved making. Huge thank you to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
Hope you enjoy!
Want to work for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue? Discover our Operational and Corporate roles here: Jobs Archive - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (syfire.gov.uk)
Stay safe at home and in the community, read South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s latest safety advice here: Safety Advice - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (syfire.gov.uk)
This is Jobs 30u30 - a series where I try my childhood dream jobs to decide what I wanna do when I grow up. This was an incredibly interesting episode that my team and I loved making. Huge thank you to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
Hope you enjoy!
Want to work for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue? Discover our Operational and Corporate roles here: Jobs Archive - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (syfire.gov.uk)
Stay safe at home and in the community, read South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s latest safety advice here: Safety Advice - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (syfire.gov.uk)
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NewsTranscript
00:00Today, I'm going through real firefighter training.
00:03Let's go!
00:05This is 30 Jobs Before 30,
00:07a series where I try 30 of my childhood dream jobs before I turn 30
00:11to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.
00:12This is episode 2, so second job I'm going to try is...
00:18Firefighter is officially the most dangerous job,
00:21but it's also one of the most popular dream jobs.
00:24I'm joining a top team of experienced firefighters
00:27to go through five challenges that prepare them to save lives.
00:30I had to do a medical test to make sure that I even can physically be in this training,
00:34so I've passed it,
00:35and now I have to go collect my kit and get to the first challenge.
00:38Let's go!
00:42Hi!
00:42Hi, Max!
00:43How's it going?
00:44How are you, Raj?
00:45Max, good to meet you.
00:46Lovely to meet you.
00:47I'm one of the training instructors here at a training school for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
00:51Okay, very cool.
00:52So it's good to have you here.
00:54If you go for a shave, you can get into your fire kit,
00:56and then we'll get you outside, and we'll get going with your next job.
00:58Okay.
00:59That's the longest shave I've seen someone do.
01:02Like, I haven't done this in a long time!
01:05Wow.
01:08All right, let's do this.
01:18Very, very warm.
01:19Are you, like, just sweating constantly?
01:21Yeah.
01:22Oh, dude!
01:23Oh, whoa!
01:25Okay, Max, you ready?
01:26Oh, yeah.
01:26Okay, let's go then.
01:29Hi, Max.
01:29My name's Steph.
01:30Pleased to meet you.
01:31How's it going, Steph?
01:32I'm Max.
01:32It's all good.
01:32It's all good.
01:33Thank you for coming today.
01:34What the test consists of, can you run about, basically, with a BA set on?
01:39Can you drag a dummy or a person?
01:42Can you carry kit like the hose that we've got there?
01:44So it's all, like, connected to different parts of the job?
01:47It absolutely is, yeah.
01:48You've got 11 minutes and 11 seconds to complete the test.
01:51It's going to be the easiest one of the day,
01:53so get prepared.
01:55All right, let's do it.
01:56Three, two, one, let's go!
02:00The speed.
02:03That's it, turn around there, Max.
02:05Good, that's two, so we've got six left.
02:07Let's go.
02:08What's your name?
02:08Jasper.
02:09You know, this fitness test, obviously, is meant to measure,
02:12test your physical performance at the job.
02:14And how is it different doing these things at the job or on the job versus in training?
02:19You have to think about so many things that are ongoing.
02:21You've got instructions where to go,
02:23you can't just enter a building at your own accordance.
02:25There's rules you have to follow.
02:27You have to think about so much.
02:28It's not just get up, get in there, get out.
02:32Finally, finally, I'm running with the hose!
02:35Come back!
02:36Grab this hose, take it to the branch, so all the way to the line.
02:42Can you give an example of a job that kind of physically tested you?
02:46Was there any particular job that was physically demanding?
02:49You see the equipment later on?
02:50They're a bit heavy and you have to cut doors off.
02:52It's very, very strenuous.
02:54I had a question about the adrenaline.
02:55Are you kind of an adrenaline junkie in your day-to-day life?
02:59Some say I am, but I say I'm not because I'm always calm.
03:01Please, three lengths.
03:04Three?
03:04Three, just three this time.
03:06One more, just one more.
03:08And then leave the hose on the yellow line, Max.
03:10Okay, drop both, pick one up, cradle, carry,
03:13and take it back to the appliance for us, please.
03:16Just drop it down.
03:17Okay, so there and back, just a run.
03:19There and back.
03:21This is it, come on.
03:22Come on, Max, you've smashed this.
03:24Come on, Max, that's two now.
03:27Six more to go.
03:28Keep it going.
03:33Come on, mate.
03:35Come on, this is the last push now.
03:38Yes, we've finished.
03:39Come on, Max.
03:42Eight feet, three.
03:44One time.
03:48Come here, stand up, stand up.
03:51Not bad.
03:52Great time.
03:52Oh, it was hard though.
03:54It's not an easy test.
03:55Yeah, this is tough.
03:56This is like CrossFit.
03:57I hate CrossFit.
03:58For me, the worst was knowing how much I have left.
04:00I'm already tired, it's minute three, and I'm only one third in.
04:03That's the whole list of the stuff that we've asked you to do.
04:06It's like a full page, isn't it?
04:07What were the most extreme situations you've been in?
04:09I've not been exposed to anything yet,
04:11but I never know what will happen tomorrow.
04:14I'm okay with heights, yes.
04:17Pulls!
04:18Step in!
04:20Pulls!
04:21Step in!
04:22I'm nervous.
04:22What was the emotional highlight of your job?
04:25Loads of things in this job.
04:26I've rescued people from house fires, from car crashes,
04:30but it's just the work that I do in the community
04:32and that we all do in the community.
04:34All good, good to go?
04:35Yeah, it feels good.
04:35Happy?
04:36Yeah, it feels good.
04:37Charlotte, nice to meet you.
04:37Good to meet you.
04:38We're through to the second challenge.
04:39Now, obviously, I look like I'm part of the crew.
04:43Can you just describe what you're going to be doing?
04:45We've got a ladder.
04:46We're going to see what you're like with heights.
04:48When you get to the top,
04:49I'm going to ask you to do something which is called a leg lock.
04:52You put your leg into the ladder in such a way
04:54and then you can let go of the ladder and you can lean back.
04:57Are you ready to give it a go?
04:59Yeah.
04:59Three, two, one.
05:00Foot the ladder!
05:02Okay.
05:02Hands on the strings.
05:03So, remember what I said, keep your hands out in front of you.
05:06Okay.
05:06Okay.
05:07This is getting very, very narrow here.
05:10I'm terrified.
05:11Seriously?
05:11Yeah, yeah.
05:12Every time I get on the ladder,
05:13those feelings come back of being scared.
05:15But you've seen the safety we've put in place.
05:17Uh-huh.
05:17So, it's just trusting your gear.
05:19When a job needs doing, something just clicks and you're like,
05:21ah, you don't even think about being scared
05:24because you think about getting the job done.
05:25But make those feelings feel normal
05:26because it is normal to feel scared.
05:28It's not normal to be up high and be like,
05:30ah, I've got no feelings here.
05:31It's normal to be scared.
05:34Oh, oh!
05:35One more step up, Max.
05:37Oh, this is real high here.
05:39Okay, go on then.
05:40Okay.
05:41I see, I see.
05:42I have to...
05:43Am I doing the right thing?
05:44Put your heel of your right foot...
05:45Yeah.
05:46...on the round below.
05:47Yeah.
05:49Ah, yeah.
05:51Yeah, good.
05:51Okay, let go of the ladder then
05:53and just gently lean back for me.
05:55Ah, you sure?
05:56You can lean back a bit more than that.
05:58I don't think, I don't know.
05:59Don't hold on to the ladder.
06:00You don't need to hold on to the ladder.
06:02Okay.
06:03Okay, look at me.
06:04Give me a wave.
06:06Okay, okay.
06:06You can come out of it now.
06:08Ah!
06:09Okay, that's good, Max.
06:10Keep going.
06:15So...
06:16Ah, perfect.
06:19You did very well at that, so well done.
06:21Cool, thank you very much.
06:22Okay, on to the next challenge then.
06:23Let's do it.
06:26This tests people's claustrophobia
06:28to see what they're like in enclosed spaces.
06:30Okay.
06:32Okay, look that way.
06:34Look the other way.
06:36Okay, that's fine.
06:38Now put your helmet on.
06:39Okay, now put your gloves on.
06:40It's not that uncomfortable.
06:41No?
06:42Okay, if you want to come with me then.
06:43When you get in there, try not to panic too much.
06:46Okay, there is a way for you to get through the maze which is in there.
06:50But I'm going to blindfold you.
06:51Oh my god, okay.
06:52Okay, you ready?
06:53Just put your head down for me.
06:58What about the opposite side?
06:59So the negative emotions that you've experienced over the years?
07:02Yeah, you see a lot of negative things.
07:04A lot of things, unfortunately,
07:06where you've come across people in car crashes
07:08who haven't quite made it.
07:09People in house fires.
07:10The destruction it does to people's lives.
07:13It's not easy to look at.
07:16Okay, so Max, take a step forward for me.
07:20Keep going, keep going.
07:22Can you feel the platform in front of you on the floor?
07:24Yeah.
07:25You're going to have to lift yourself up.
07:26Put your hands on your knees.
07:28Okay, and away you go.
07:31So try and figure out what your route is.
07:37I think that I found way more challenging than I thought.
07:40The kind of things we might come across
07:42are working in things like sewers.
07:44So they can be quite small and tight.
07:46People might panic.
07:47They might start breathing quite quickly.
07:49So you might have noticed a few times I said,
07:51just slowly breathing down.
07:57Okay, Max, keep going.
08:00And then you noticed your whistle started going off, didn't it?
08:04Okay, so come back up.
08:06Come in right towards me.
08:09I've got to manage your breathing as well
08:11so that you can get the full duration out of that cylinder.
08:15Okay, keep coming forward.
08:30Okay, you okay?
08:31Yeah.
08:35A little bit uneasy.
08:36But I feel like once it started coming off,
08:37I finished real quick.
08:38If it was just me crawling through a dark, tight space
08:42and there is no one there, that would be...
08:43Oh my God.
08:44You did very well with that.
08:46We'll get this off you
08:47and then we'll get ready for the next challenge.
08:48Let's do it.
08:49Do you think there is something that is a myth about firefighters?
08:52That like general public thinks it's like that.
08:54Yeah, I think the general public think, you know,
08:58firefighters, they play snooker on station
09:00and they sit around drinking cups of tea.
09:04Right, Max, how are you feeling?
09:05I am tired.
09:06It's given you a good idea, hasn't it?
09:08Of what we do in our job, right?
09:09Are you ready for your next challenge?
09:10Let's do it.
09:11We're going to do a road traffic collision.
09:13We've got a car here and we've got a driver
09:15who unfortunately has had a bit of a bump.
09:17We're going to need to cut the roof off this car.
09:20Cut the roof?
09:20We're going to cut the roof
09:22and it's literally just trying to flick you in.
09:23Flick it?
09:24Visors down, breaking glass.
09:28Okay.
09:29That's crazy.
09:29So this is how everyone like steals bags.
09:31No, no, no, I'm not saying that.
09:34If you have a really expensive car
09:35but you're in this situation,
09:36do they ever go like,
09:37no, don't please?
09:39Sometimes, yeah, but unfortunately,
09:40we need to save their life.
09:42It's something which we would have to do.
09:50Oh, yeah.
09:51So that's it.
09:51Just like that.
09:52Door's off.
09:53Okay, I'll go for it.
09:54Legs down through the noose.
09:56Yep.
10:01Okay.
10:01Yeah.
10:02Okay.
10:04It's quite heavy, this thing.
10:05Okay, you ready?
10:11Just put it down next to that.
10:13Back a lot.
10:15Yeah, lower.
10:17So if we take this off...
10:18You were there the whole time?
10:20He was there the whole time.
10:21Oh my God.
10:21And now it gives us a lot more space.
10:23We can now get a longboard in to protect the spine
10:27and then we can get them out that way.
10:28When it comes to pets and humans,
10:30is there a prioritization?
10:31You know, if it's someone's pet which has evolved,
10:33we will try and save someone's pet if we can.
10:35If it is too dangerous to do that,
10:37we have to weigh up that situation.
10:39But we will always do our best to try and rescue pets as well
10:42because they're like family members.
10:43Yeah, for sure.
10:45Okay, so I hold on to these.
10:49Okay.
10:50Okay, Max, are you ready for your final challenge?
10:52Yeah.
10:53I've got reports that we've got a real fire.
10:55I need you to put that fire out.
10:56All right.
10:57Are you ready for it?
10:58Yep.
10:58Oh my God.
10:58Lucas, you understand that if someone driving past
11:01sees us and sees me inside,
11:02they don't know that I'm not actually a firefighter.
11:13Okay.
11:15Can you get that hose reel off for me, please?
11:17So you take the branch, Max.
11:18Okay.
11:18Okay, get to that spot for me.
11:23Somewhere here?
11:23There, yeah.
11:24Yep.
11:25Water on.
11:26Let's go.
11:27Oh yeah.
11:29Oh yeah.
11:31Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:32Oh yeah.
11:38Oh look, the rainbow.
11:39Lucas, have you seen the rainbow?
11:41Okay, so final assessment.
11:43How did you think I did in this one?
11:45I think you did very well.
11:46Pretty much extinguished it straight away, so well done.
11:48Over the past five challenges, to summarize,
11:51do you think I have what it takes?
11:53I think you've got what it takes.
11:54I think you've done very well.
11:55Your fitness levels seem very good.
11:58You've put everything together
11:59and you've extinguished that very well.
12:01Thank you very much for today.
12:02It's been a pleasure.
12:03You've been brilliant.
12:03Well done.
12:04Thank you very much.
12:05If you feel like this is for you, might be,
12:08and you shouldn't create barriers in your mind
12:10that like, oh, this job is not for me
12:12because I'm this way or I'm that way
12:14or I can't handle this or that.
12:16Because nobody, even out of your crew,
12:18like nobody's like,
12:19I didn't see just like superheroes with no,
12:22they're just like robots, put out the fires.
12:24You know, everyone here has their own like strength
12:26and not necessarily weaknesses,
12:28but definitely different skill sets.
12:30Yeah.
12:30That you make the team strong.
12:31But we're all different.
12:32We're really diverse.
12:33If people are interested in this job,
12:35make sure you physically fit.
12:36You've got to be determined.
12:38You've got to show some grit.
12:40I didn't get in on my first attempt.
12:41I got in on my second go.
12:43If they're not successful,
12:44because we all make mistakes
12:45and we don't do everything perfectly,
12:47it's about picking yourself up,
12:48dusting yourself off and learning from it
12:51and moving forward and bettering yourself.
12:52I think that's what all of us have.
12:54This has been an awesome experience.
12:56It's been great to have you.
12:57I'm glad you've enjoyed it.