By Mary Jane Epling
The Daily Independent
ASHLAND Ky. — It’s not a stretch to say most know being a firefighter is one of the most dangerous career fields in which one could find themselves.
Whether it be the youngest or eldest member of a community, everybody knows the men and women who don multiple pounds of equipment and ride on a blaring red truck put out the blazes, making career firefighters some of the bravest among us.
But it’s the daily tasks, duties and unexpected calls that keep the men of Ashland Fire Department coming back for more, especially true for Central Station Battalion Chief Jarrod Duncan and his 16-man crew.
Five hours into his 24-hour shift, Duncan said his day starts at about 5:30 a.m., when he departs his home out in the county to head to his “home away from home” — the station.
His first duty of the day, is what Duncan simply called “setting up shift,” or ensuring enough firefighters are in house to adequately cover the City of Ashland.
Bearing that much responsibility looked to be a breeze for Duncan — a career fireman for 23 years.
In fact, on that afternoon, Duncan had already established his man coverage for his next 24-hour shift, accounting for calls that aren’t just putting out fires or retrieving cats from trees in nearby neighborhoods.
Duncan’s coordination consists of assigning firefighters to each of the station’s rigs — Engine 1, Rescue 1 and Tower 1 — which mandates at least three men per truck, including an engineer, tasked with driving and maintaining equipment, a fireman and a captain or battalion chief, who will call the shots on each call.
As Duncan works out the planning for the 24 hours ahead, his guys are up and at it, even in the event radio traffic is silent.
According to both federal and state legislation, in addition to being certified EMTs, career firefighters at AFD are required to maintain at least 300 hours of training per year — no matter how long they’ve been in the business.
Those trainings consist of swift water rescue, large structural collapse, rope climbing, knotting and securing, understanding fire and smoke behavior, hazmat, search and rescue, vehicle extraction and more.
“You can’t train enough for a job that could kill you,” Engineer Fields Davis said on Monday afternoon, still winded after successfully breaching a commercial-modeled doorway in mere seconds.
Duncan said when not responding to active calls, once firemen arrive at the station, heads are down, either cleaning the station’s living quarters, checking equipment or actively training.
Upstairs at Central Station houses multiple bunks, showers, recliners and a kitchen area to provide a sense of residence for firemen throughout their long shifts — that is when there’s time for leisure.
But Duncan said beyond battalion meals or frequently interrupted shuteye, you won’t find the firemen hanging out in the living quarters all that much.
A slide down the fireman’s pole brings you to a massive garage-like space Duncan called the bay, which houses all the trucks, trailers, boats and training “tree house,” each containing numerous tools, gadgets and accessories to assist firefighters in quickly and efficiently responding to relevant calls.
Duncan said Ashland’s firemen, no matter where they may be in the station at the time of the call, are expected to be fully dressed and rolling out an engine in 60 seconds or less.
Inside the bay around a large table sat several firemen, where Duncan said the most underestimated fireman’s tool is found — brotherhood.
According to many at the fire department, the men from Battalion 1 aren’t exactly one-trick ponies.
Hailing from backgrounds in construction, education and even military service, each fireman has unique strengths and insights that pay off where another may fall short.
“Just like all Marines are infantrymen, all firefighters are firemen,” Davis said, but his experience in search and rescue can benefit from one of his partner’s background in construction — knowing at the end of the day, if he isn’t an expert on unique call, somebody behind him most likely is, and vice-versa.
Both Davis and Duncan said sometimes a firefighter has a specialty of sorts, some leaning more into search and rescue while others may lean into understanding smoke and fire behavior.
Davis, trained in swift water rescue, was one of six firemen from Ashland who recently responded to southeast Kentucky, participating in more than 50 rescues from the flood-ravaged region.
As if covering the City of Ashland wasn’t enough, another AFD member, Duncan said, was even present during search and rescue operations during a condominium collapse near Miami, Florida, in 2021.
One fireman part of Battalion 1 was one of the first on scene in the aftermath of an EF-3 tornado that tore through West Liberty in 2012.
Several more were activated to Martin County for the hopeful rescue and ultimate recovery of workers killed by a mine collapse in 2023.
East of Lexington, Duncan said AFD is “just about” the only city with the resources, men and training to assist in large events, in addition to offering mutual aid to stations in neighboring counties when requested.
Those “big” events and daily responses to active fires, medical emergencies and vehicle accidents aren’t exactly experiences you simply walk away from as survivors and especially as a first responder, Duncan said.
“We experience more trauma in one year than your normal person,” Duncan said, explaining the reasoning behind 24-hour shifts “on,” followed by 48 hours “off.”
Duncan said nationwide, city governments are taking mental health of firefighters more seriously, explaining some departments work in shifts of 48 hours “on” and 72 hours “off” to help combat first responder suicide, substance abuse, and other long-term complications of post-traumatic syndromes.
Despite the mental blows, Duncan said that’s what the department trains for.
“Of course I don’t want anyone’s house to burn down,” Duncan said, “but, I want to be there if it does.”
Davis shared a similar mindset.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘Would I want me to show up to rescue me?’” Davis said. “If the shoe is ever on the other foot, I know these guys and who is showing up.” That thought alone being enough for him to sleep a bit better at night.
Davis said he and a partner responded to a medical call once after a man had a heart attack while mowing his lawn.
After the man was transported by EMS for medical treatment, the call wasn’t quite over.
“We just stayed and finished cutting his grass,” Davis recalled.
Whether it’s responding to a fire, a rescue or a disaster at home or beyond city limits, they don’t just fight fires—they show up day by day to fight for their neighbors, their families and their brothers in arms.
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