Editor's Note: This is the second part of Sophie's interview with Ed
Rosek. To learn more about his first job, his books, and his artistic
inspirations, please check out Part 1!
What was it like to fight fires and save people from fires when you were a firefighter?
That's a very powerful question. And it deserves a strong (and probably long) answer, with a little history of how I got to be a firefighter.
Firefighting is a very dynamic, dangerous, and rewarding profession. I never really thought about it as a career I'd wanted, but my friend Jim, a firefighter with the Las Vegas Fire Department, kept telling me to apply for the job. I was a construction worker at the time and since I already had a good job, I put off applying to be a firefighter. However, a few years later after working for 10 years as a construction worker, I was ready to do something else. Jim had to tell me that the Las Vegas Fire Department was hiring again, so I jumped at the chance. I told him I'd apply this time and looked forward to being a firefighter. He was hesitant. He told me: "Well, be patient. It's a very competitive job and thousands of applications will be received for the thirteen new positions. Many are already firefighters and EMTs from other states. You may have to apply a few times before landing a job." "No problem," I told him, "I'll be in 1st place when the testing is done”. He just smiled and said, “That’s good :-) Confidence is good!” I could tell from his look that while he didn’t believe me, he was happy that I was applying.
The testing process was extremely hard and I was shocked and caught off guard at how much time and effort is put into the hiring process for these hard to get jobs. First, there was a written test of 100 complex questions, some of which I had no idea how to answer. My confidence began to weaken. Six hundred people took the test that day, then six hundred the next day, and six hundred more on the last day. 1,800 applicants! My confidence was on shaky ground . . . ugh.
The next test was the physical agility test–a test of strength and endurance at the Fire Department training center. It looked like an obstacle course. An observer walks you through the course to familiarize you with it. It didn’t look too scary, and I was confident that I could do pretty well, as I was in good physical condition . . . My turn! The observer hit the time clock and I pushed hard, going as fast as I could. He followed me with his clipboard and time clock. I had to wear a firefighting air tank which added 30 pounds to carry. I pulled some heavy fire hose for 100 feet, drug a 200 pound dummy across the lot, then piled a bunch of rolled fire hose, moved it twenty feet away, and brought it back again. By now I was sweating, and my legs were weak. Come back, confidence, I need you to stay strong! The observer said to me, "You’re doing well. Keep going!" I pushed on, the air-pack weighing heavily on my back. Next was the fifty foot ladder climb to the 5th floor of the training tower. My legs were shaking as I climbed the ladder. Everything five stories below looked small and a long fall away. Yikes . . . this is dangerous! I thought. I reached the top of the ladder and stepped out onto the top of the fire training tower–Ah, finally the last part of the course . . . An easy walk down ten flights of stairs, out the training tower door and my time stops. Except, by the second or third flight of stairs, my legs were rubber–weakened by all the dragging, carrying and climbing. I didn’t know if I could make it down. Halfway, I started to get dizzy and almost stopped, but pushed through and finally hit the bottom, out the door and back into the daylight and the waiting Paramedics, who were there to check my vitals and make sure I was ok.
That was an amazing physical test, and it took all I had in me to finish. I wasn’t sure how well I'd done time wise, but I'd made it down! Many applicants couldn’t finish the physical agility test!
Two days later I took on the third part of the process; a question and answer oral board with three city personnel : A fire paramedic, a fire captain, and a Human Resource employee. I felt confident, as Jim had grilled me from a list of standard questions they always ask. I was ready to go . . . until they asked that first question:
“Tell us a little about yourself.”
I froze! I wasn’t ready for that.
“I uh . . . I’m . . . uh, I uh, well . . . well, uh . . .” Oh boy, I lost it. I leaned forward and dropped my head in my hands on the table between us, knowing that I’d blown it. This is it, game over. I’m done! I sat up quickly and ripped off my suit jacket and blurted out, “Can I take my jacket off?” They all had huge shocked eyes.
Oh Lord, what have I done here, what a mess I’ve made of this, I thought as I tried to compose myself. Then I did something that might have helped me. I said: “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I’ve never worked harder for anything in my life!”
Well, the Human Resource lady stopped the process and told the recorder; another lady who was recording the entire interview, to turn off the recorder. “Would you like to start over?” she asked.
“Yes, I would, if that's all right?” I responded.
She told the recorder to start again, and one by one, the interviewers asked their questions. I did my best to answer. Afterwards I put my jacket back on and the Human Resource lady walked me to the door.
I spoke to her: “Wow, I really blew that didn’t I?” To which she responded: “Actually you did very well.”
I was confused. Did I do well or not? I wasn’t sure. Where did I stand? Did I have a chance for one of the firefighter positions . . . or had I blown it?
A week later I found out: My written test was an 88, which was a lot less than I'd hoped for. Then I saw the physical agility results: My registered time was seven minutes and twenty seconds . . . I had the fastest time of all the participants! Then the Oral board . . . I was afraid to look . . . 93! The highest score of all!
In the end, when all the test scores were finalized, I think I was more shocked than Jim, whom I'd told I would end up first. Well, I had the highest final score of all the applicants with a 95! I WAS in 1st place!
The testing process was extremely hard and I was shocked and caught off guard at how much time and effort is put into the hiring process for these hard to get jobs. First, there was a written test of 100 complex questions, some of which I had no idea how to answer. My confidence began to weaken. Six hundred people took the test that day, then six hundred the next day, and six hundred more on the last day. 1,800 applicants! My confidence was on shaky ground . . . ugh.
The next test was the physical agility test–a test of strength and endurance at the Fire Department training center. It looked like an obstacle course. An observer walks you through the course to familiarize you with it. It didn’t look too scary, and I was confident that I could do pretty well, as I was in good physical condition . . . My turn! The observer hit the time clock and I pushed hard, going as fast as I could. He followed me with his clipboard and time clock. I had to wear a firefighting air tank which added 30 pounds to carry. I pulled some heavy fire hose for 100 feet, drug a 200 pound dummy across the lot, then piled a bunch of rolled fire hose, moved it twenty feet away, and brought it back again. By now I was sweating, and my legs were weak. Come back, confidence, I need you to stay strong! The observer said to me, "You’re doing well. Keep going!" I pushed on, the air-pack weighing heavily on my back. Next was the fifty foot ladder climb to the 5th floor of the training tower. My legs were shaking as I climbed the ladder. Everything five stories below looked small and a long fall away. Yikes . . . this is dangerous! I thought. I reached the top of the ladder and stepped out onto the top of the fire training tower–Ah, finally the last part of the course . . . An easy walk down ten flights of stairs, out the training tower door and my time stops. Except, by the second or third flight of stairs, my legs were rubber–weakened by all the dragging, carrying and climbing. I didn’t know if I could make it down. Halfway, I started to get dizzy and almost stopped, but pushed through and finally hit the bottom, out the door and back into the daylight and the waiting Paramedics, who were there to check my vitals and make sure I was ok.
That was an amazing physical test, and it took all I had in me to finish. I wasn’t sure how well I'd done time wise, but I'd made it down! Many applicants couldn’t finish the physical agility test!
Two days later I took on the third part of the process; a question and answer oral board with three city personnel : A fire paramedic, a fire captain, and a Human Resource employee. I felt confident, as Jim had grilled me from a list of standard questions they always ask. I was ready to go . . . until they asked that first question:
“Tell us a little about yourself.”
I froze! I wasn’t ready for that.
“I uh . . . I’m . . . uh, I uh, well . . . well, uh . . .” Oh boy, I lost it. I leaned forward and dropped my head in my hands on the table between us, knowing that I’d blown it. This is it, game over. I’m done! I sat up quickly and ripped off my suit jacket and blurted out, “Can I take my jacket off?” They all had huge shocked eyes.
Oh Lord, what have I done here, what a mess I’ve made of this, I thought as I tried to compose myself. Then I did something that might have helped me. I said: “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I’ve never worked harder for anything in my life!”
Well, the Human Resource lady stopped the process and told the recorder; another lady who was recording the entire interview, to turn off the recorder. “Would you like to start over?” she asked.
“Yes, I would, if that's all right?” I responded.
She told the recorder to start again, and one by one, the interviewers asked their questions. I did my best to answer. Afterwards I put my jacket back on and the Human Resource lady walked me to the door.
I spoke to her: “Wow, I really blew that didn’t I?” To which she responded: “Actually you did very well.”
I was confused. Did I do well or not? I wasn’t sure. Where did I stand? Did I have a chance for one of the firefighter positions . . . or had I blown it?
A week later I found out: My written test was an 88, which was a lot less than I'd hoped for. Then I saw the physical agility results: My registered time was seven minutes and twenty seconds . . . I had the fastest time of all the participants! Then the Oral board . . . I was afraid to look . . . 93! The highest score of all!
In the end, when all the test scores were finalized, I think I was more shocked than Jim, whom I'd told I would end up first. Well, I had the highest final score of all the applicants with a 95! I WAS in 1st place!
So, needless to say, I got one of the positions. That was a huge blessing for me.
Ok, that was a long story, but now I’m going to actually answer your question: What was it like to fight fires and save people?
I really didn’t realize how dynamic, and exciting fire fighting was until I became a firefighter. The job entailed fighting fires, yes, but that was actually the smaller percentage of the routine work. As an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), I responded to many more sick and injured people, car accidents, and other mishaps, than fighting fires. But you asked about fighting fires, so . . .
Fighting fires is frightening! It’s dangerous, it’s scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. Over 26 years of my career I’ve fought hundreds of fires; from trash can fires to car fires, semi-truck fires, house fires, hotel fires, plane fires and wildland fires. They are all different and all have a different sense of urgency. The house and hotel fires with people involved are the most urgent of course. I have rescued people from burning houses and hotel fires, but sadly, that’s not how they always end. Tragically, we can’t always save the people trapped in a fire, but when we do pull someone to safety from a burning building, it’s a great relief for all, and an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment for us firefighters. I loved that the most.
One last thing. Here’s a short story you might enjoy:
One time, we responded to a building on fire that was full of all kinds of animals. There were dogs, cats, snakes, geese, a duck, and even a tarantula! I was assigned to search and rescue in the building while other firefighters fought the fire. My partner Joe and I pulled out some dogs and cats. I went back into the dark smoke, barely able to see, and made my way to the garage where I found a cage with a duck in it. The duck had forced its head and neck out of the cage, trying to escape the smoke, I suspect. It was hanging there limply, so I forced open the cage, pulled the lifeless animal out, and put it inside my “turnout” coat (part of my fire resistant fire gear), and headed outside. There were many neighbors, onlookers and news crews, watching the events as they happened. I didn’t want to be in the mass of people, so I headed off to one of the Fire/Rescue ambulances nearby. I pulled out an oxygen bottle and used a nasal cannula (a clear plastic hose for delivering oxygen–usually for humans), and held the tube close to the duck's little beak holes. Little did I know, somebody had noticed me helping the duck, and I was suddenly surrounded by a throng of people and had a news camera thrust right next to my face! Well, slowly but surely, the poor duck regained his health, and I left it with the relieved and grateful owner.
A few days later, I was called into a meeting with fire station 1 personnel. I was surprised when the house captain called me up to receive an award. He handed me a very nice certificate. It read: “This is to certify that Firefighter Edward Rosek has successfully resuscitated a duck!”
I looked up at the twenty some firefighters, medics, EMT’s and Captains attending. They were all smiling . . . and then everyone broke into laughter. I laughed, too. It WAS pretty funny, but you know . . . I really did save a duck!
After all of the different places you’ve lived, what brought you to south central Pennsylvania?
I was born in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1956. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world! It will always be my beloved home. I lived in Alaska until I was 28 years old. Then, in 1984, I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. My mother had moved there in 1976, and after visiting her many times, I decided to move there to get away from the long cold winters of Alaska. Las Vegas is a remarkable city and it was just what I wanted since it's almost always sunny there. On the other hand, it's also very hot . . . like the surface of the sun! I ended up here in the east because this is where Lara (my fiance´) is from–Maryland, near Washington D.C., to be exact. That's where she grew up. She lived her whole life there until we met and she joined me in Las Vegas for a few years. She has children, grandchildren, brothers, a sister, and father who all live here in the east. She wanted to move back east to be closer to them since Las Vegas is thousands of miles away. I had lived in Las Vegas for 35 years, so once again, I was ready for a new adventure. I agreed to move with her to the East, so she could be closer to her family.
We stayed with her sister and brother-in-law in Maryland while we looked for a place nearby to live. After many views of apartments, houses and townhouses to rent we settled on a place at Penn National Golf Course . . . making us your new next door neighbors! We chose this place because of the easy drive to family in both directions–north and south. It's also a very easy lifestyle with lots of farmland, kind people and two small towns within an easy 15 minute drive–and(huge bonus), it's on a golf course! It's perfect.
What do you like best about south central Pennsylvania?
Ok, that was a long story, but now I’m going to actually answer your question: What was it like to fight fires and save people?
Fighting fires is frightening! It’s dangerous, it’s scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. Over 26 years of my career I’ve fought hundreds of fires; from trash can fires to car fires, semi-truck fires, house fires, hotel fires, plane fires and wildland fires. They are all different and all have a different sense of urgency. The house and hotel fires with people involved are the most urgent of course. I have rescued people from burning houses and hotel fires, but sadly, that’s not how they always end. Tragically, we can’t always save the people trapped in a fire, but when we do pull someone to safety from a burning building, it’s a great relief for all, and an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment for us firefighters. I loved that the most.
One last thing. Here’s a short story you might enjoy:
One time, we responded to a building on fire that was full of all kinds of animals. There were dogs, cats, snakes, geese, a duck, and even a tarantula! I was assigned to search and rescue in the building while other firefighters fought the fire. My partner Joe and I pulled out some dogs and cats. I went back into the dark smoke, barely able to see, and made my way to the garage where I found a cage with a duck in it. The duck had forced its head and neck out of the cage, trying to escape the smoke, I suspect. It was hanging there limply, so I forced open the cage, pulled the lifeless animal out, and put it inside my “turnout” coat (part of my fire resistant fire gear), and headed outside. There were many neighbors, onlookers and news crews, watching the events as they happened. I didn’t want to be in the mass of people, so I headed off to one of the Fire/Rescue ambulances nearby. I pulled out an oxygen bottle and used a nasal cannula (a clear plastic hose for delivering oxygen–usually for humans), and held the tube close to the duck's little beak holes. Little did I know, somebody had noticed me helping the duck, and I was suddenly surrounded by a throng of people and had a news camera thrust right next to my face! Well, slowly but surely, the poor duck regained his health, and I left it with the relieved and grateful owner.
A few days later, I was called into a meeting with fire station 1 personnel. I was surprised when the house captain called me up to receive an award. He handed me a very nice certificate. It read: “This is to certify that Firefighter Edward Rosek has successfully resuscitated a duck!”
I looked up at the twenty some firefighters, medics, EMT’s and Captains attending. They were all smiling . . . and then everyone broke into laughter. I laughed, too. It WAS pretty funny, but you know . . . I really did save a duck!
After all of the different places you’ve lived, what brought you to south central Pennsylvania?
What do you like best about south central Pennsylvania?
That's kind of a tough question. I'm still finding new things to love all the time! So far, I love the weather. It's not too hot like Las Vegas, and it's not too cold like Alaska. Pennsylvania weather is like Baby Bear in the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. Everything is just right! Other things I'm beginning to like about this area: It's green! Very green–everywhere. Las Vegas, being a desert, is very brown and, well . . . desert-y. It's dusty and not very green. We also love that there is a state park only ten minutes drive away, so we can go camping there. That's nice. But ultimately, I might not have found what I like best about central Pennsylvania, because there is so much more to see, and explore.
There are a few more things on the list that are at the top. We have some very nice neighbors to the south of us. They are kind and friendly people and easy to converse with. They also have two adorable daughters who are the friendliest kids in the neighborhood. Both of the daughters are sweet, outgoing, intelligent and brave. They love to talk to their neighbors, and are very well mannered, with excellent verbal skills. They may be the nicest in all of Pennsylvania! I also hear that they are the greatest golf ball collectors in . . . well, maybe . . . the whole world!
Thank you so much Mr. Ed! I have a great time chatting with you too!
😊
Thank you so much Mr. Ed! I have a great time chatting with you too!
😊
Sophie, it was my honor, thank you! I appreciate that you considered me for a chat in The Sophie Star. Best of luck to you in this blog, and ALL your endeavors.
ReplyDeleteMr. Ed
Thank you! I had so much fun! Thank you so much!
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