When I was a kid, I loved fire trucks. The same sound made by fire engines that is meant to alarm adults into immediate compliance, delights children everywhere. Although some children plug their ears when they hear fire engines, most of them still have smiles on their faces. You can tell what they are thinking. The fire engine is incredibly loud, and that delights these young sensation junkies.
Unlike most kids, however, my love of fire trucks never died out when I was growing up. For a while, I collected toy fire engines. I know this is a pretty silly hobby for a teenager, and even a sillier one for an adult, but I didn't know what else to do. Becoming a fire fighter, you see, never entered my mind. I lived in a very traditional and very upper-class family. There were certain jobs that we were expected to go into. I got my choice between doctor, lawyer, business professional, or perhaps academic. Firefighter, however, was unacceptably working class. My parents would not even consider endorsing such a career choice.
As a matter of fact, I never realized that I was interested in a fire safety and prevention job until I got to ride along on a fire engine in a parade. One of my friends, you see, was a firefighter, and he could tell that I was hungry for his job, even if I couldn't. I used to go and hang out at the fire station with him, looking at the big, gleaming, bright red fire engines and thinking daydreaming about what it would be like to ride on one. All the firemen were friendly, and when he decided to ask me along on their parade display, they readily agreed.
I can't even describe the thrill of my fire engine ride along. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. As a matter of fact, fire engines were every bit as cool as I had imagined as a kid! They were tall, rumbling, massive, and extremely, extremely loud. I was above the crowd, waving gallantly, dressed in a fireman's suit. I knew that I wanted to spend my life riding around on fire engines, whatever my parents thought. It wasn't long before I enrolled in a fire safety school, and from there I was fighting fires in six months. I am a quick study in all things, and this proved no exception. It has been very rewarding so far.
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