A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A HUMBOLDT BAY FIRE FIGHTER

 Eureka, CA- Its Fire Prevention week in Humboldt County and News Channel 3’s Monica Jacquez spent the morning at Humboldt Bay Fire Station #11. Matt Dennis told her, "You never know what you going to do, the excitement of the job. Plus the ability to serve the community I grew up in."
 
Dennis grew up in Eureka and is a new recruit to Humboldt Bay Fire. He is the team’s paramedic and the guy who is going to save your life. Dennis told us, “we have drugs to speed the heart up, we have drugs to slow the heart down."
 
Dennis also has the capabilities to deliver shock and jump-start the heart on the spot. He hooked me up to the machine to show me what he would do if I were about to go into cardiac arrest. 
 
Its not just about fighting fires, fireman like Michael Landry sometimes have to pull people out of totaled vehicles. This is done with the infamous Jaws of Life. Landry said, "This is all of our extrication equipment if someone is trapped inside of a vehicle. We can use this equipment here to extricate a person from the vehicle."

I had the opportunity to ride with the guys and watch them as they practice some important drills. Captain Andresen said, "These task need to be second nature to us. You have to be able to do them really quick without any hitches."
 
It’s no easy task to carry all this equipment and not to mention the added weight from their uniform.
 
Even though this job means being away from family… it’s clear that they have become a family of their own.
 
In the spirit of fire prevention week the Arcata Fire District will host an open house tomorrow from 10 am to 2 pm. The community is invited.