Life as an Intern: First 2 weeks

My first day begins with the buzzing of my alarm clock at an hour no high school student wants to be conscious at, especially during summer. Dragging myself out of bed, I soon find myself stuck in the infamous rush hour that I have only heard about in my parents’ complaints. Only now, at age 17, do I realize how frustrating it really is as the time I have to get to the office passes by.

Finally I arrive and enter the building in search of the office I need to find and luckily it is not far. On my first day, a group of young kids are scheduled to get a tour of the nearby fire station but first I need to get an ID card. It does not take long until I am sporting my own Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service badge.

Mr. Delaney informs me that we need to drive to get some handouts for the kids from a building not to far away. As we enter the parking lot, I have an idea of which vehicle we will be taking. Amidst many average cars, there is a large orange van with fire safety slogans on the sides. I climb into the passenger seat and look down on the cars around us as we slowly but surely left the parking lot.

With bags of handouts for the kids, we head over to the fire station to prepare for the tour. As we walk into the station alongside the massive fire trucks, it feels like this internship is going to be full of cool things. Soon enough, the tour has begun and even though it is for young kids, I find myself enjoying it too.

Eventually it is time to head back home and I can only hope everyday is as interesting as this one. In the days that followed, I have been introduced to a wide range of jobs in the Fire & Rescue Service.

Being with the resident expert of social media, Bill Delaney, we have talked to people about the uses of technology and different ways it can be used internally and externally. The potential the internet has to this organization is immense and it is just now being recognized.

We also have paid a visit to a local science lab to inform them of what safety precautions they should be taking. With chemicals that react dangerously to water and a wide range of other reactive substances, extraordinary steps need to be taken.

Finally, we spent some time with a group of senior citizens at OASIS to inform them about safety in their homes. Since people over the age of 65 have the highest risk of dying in fires at home, it is important that they are taught how to prevent or survive them. Having lived in their houses for a long time, the smoke alarms are most likely either out of date or are even without power. It is crucial that they are checked and replaced if need be but unfortunately it is often overlooked.

In the upcoming weeks, I hope to learn more about other jobs here, and maybe go out in the field. With the county fair in a few weeks, we are starting to prepare for a fun few weeks.

-Daniel