Firefighter

Supplementary Reading

Check Yourself

accident

agility

ailment

assigned

benefit

capable of

challenges

civil disturbances commitment

compliance

concerning

credit

dedication

devotion

endurance

evaluate

execution

expose to

fore fighting

handicap

heat exhaustion

in top physical shape

injury

judgment

keep up with

legitimate

loss

of the essence

ordinance

overexertion

permission

physically demanding job

precision

pre-incident plan

premises

preventable

procedure

proficient

put forth

quarters

reasonable

rehearse

requirements

resolve

sacrifice

severity of accidents

sprain

suggestion

take toll

team-mate

teamwork

tiresome

trustworthy

vigor

vocation

warm-up exercises

Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property to rescue people from car accidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations. The increasing complexity of modern industrialized life with an increase in the scale of hazards has stimulated both advances in firefighting technology and a broadening of the firefighter-rescuer's remit. They sometimes provide emergency medical services. The fire service, or fire and rescue service also known in some countries as the fire brigade or fire department, are some of the emergency services.

A Canadian firefighter

Washington, D.C. firefighter

Firefighting and firefighters have become ubiquitous around the world, from wildland areas to urban areas, and on board ships.

Malaysian firefighters practice extinguishing a fuel-spill fire at a training facility.

Not all firefighters are paid for their services. In some countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, New Zealand and the United States, they are often paid (career firefighters). Additionally, there are volunteer firefighters (who are theoretically unpaid) and retained firefighters (who are paid for the specific time they are on duty, i.e. permanent part-time career firefighters) on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In such countries as the United Kingdom and Ireland, the use of additional retained firefighters is standard. In Portugal, the use of volunteer firefighters is standard, along with career firefighters.

In Australia volunteer brigades which are mostly unpaid rural services (although traditionally they are paid by their employers if called out during working hours).

In Germany, volunteer fire departments are established in every town: even the biggest German city, Berlin, with more than 3.6 million inhabitants, has volunteer firefighters besides a career fire service. In fact, only 100 German cities (most of them are towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants) have a career fire service, called the "Berufsfeuerwehr," but in every one of these cities a volunteer fire service exists, too. In cities with a career fire service, volunteer fire brigades support the career fire service at big fires, accidents and disasters. Many of the so-called volunteer departments (usually in towns with 35,000 to 150,000 inhabitants), except in very small towns and villages, are a mixed service of a core of career firemen who are supported by true volunteer firefighters should the need arise. However, the official title of those departments is nevertheless "volunteer fire service".

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27