Kathleen Till Stange, independent board director
I recently participated in the West Des Moines Citizens Fire Academy. I had already participated in the citizens police academy and citizens EMS academy, so I thought the citizens fire academy would be a great way to round it out. Plus, I’m a fan of the TV show “Chicago Fire,” so I figured it would be a great adventure. It was. It was also really, really hard – both physically and mentally. I climbed ladders, pumped water, drove the truck, rappelled off the training tower and more.
I work out regularly, but this was next-level hard. Only one person in our citizens class passed the physical ability test that firefighter candidates must pass. I learned that I do not like wearing the firefighter turnout gear in 100-degree temps. And on top of that, you add the SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), which weighs 25 pounds. The added weight of this gear, breathing via the SCBA, in high temps and not being able to see because of smoke was one of the hardest things I have done.
This experience gave me an even greater appreciation for our firefighters, the hard, important work they do and sacrifices they make.
