I used to be in the youth fire service. Already, even at that time, I was very interested in this profession. At the end of my studies, I wrote my diploma thesis in close cooperation with the fire department. These experiences sealed the deal… I started working as an instructor at the central fire service school in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Institut der Feuerwehr), then joined the fire and rescue service of Aachen.
The best things about my job are the variety, as well as the colleagues and the fact that we can help the citizens. I like the challenges this profession brings. Every day and every assignment is different. You get to work with many different colleagues and alongside the field service, you can train new colleagues too.
The most difficult part of the job is at the same time the most interesting. At the beginning of the watch you do not know what will happen in the next 24 hours, what kind of missions will challenge us.
Depending on the type of intervention, it is not always easy to coordinate up to 450 intervention forces. As a firefighter you should be flexible, athletic and have a good assertiveness. Patience and empathy will also help you most of the time.
Teamwork is essential. Without teamwork, the fire service system doesn’t work. Neither at the guard nor in action. Since each team member is different and may also see a different path to the goal, sometimes it’s a challenge to bring together a team of 10 to 15 different characters. But if you join the team and achieve its goals, it’s worth it.
My role model has nothing to do with fire brigade. My mother not only taught me to assert myself, to go other ways and fight for my goals, she has also lived it to me. She’s my idol.