CENTERVILLE, Ga. — If you've always wanted to become a firefighter but didn't know where to start — look no further than the Centerville Fire Department!
Not only is the CFD the city's only fire station, but the heroes who work there say their job gives them purpose.
In the tiny but mighty town, brotherhood is the backbone of the CFD.
"I don't think there's any other department as close as us," Harvey Barr said.
This month will mark Barr's first anniversary as a firefighter.
After applying for the job, Barr was able to go through CFD's in-house rookie school for proper certification.
"We may be small as far as square miles, but we have a big city mentality," Sgt. David Dorman said.
Dorman's been with CFD since 2003; today, he's a sergeant.
He makes sure all the tools of the job, including equipment and other resources, are always ready to go when the alarm rings. But he also makes sure the city's firefighters are ready to go, too, in his role overseeing the in-house rookie school.
"We're not a minimum standards department. We wanna be above the minimum standards, because that's what the citizens deserve," Dorman said.
Andrew Schuler said his favorite part about being a firefighter is the job itself.
"This is the best job I've ever had," he said.
It's quite the testament coming from guys who wake up at the crack of dawn every day to work 24-hour shifts, 120 days of the year.
With two hours of mandatory training every day, that's over 240 hours of drills annually, the sergeant said.
"In firefighter terms, we consider ourselves as an aggressive fire department, because we do whatever it takes to get the job done," Dorman said.
That being said, it isn't like the job is always easy. But at the end of the day, Barr says there are those calls that remind you why you're in the business in the first place.
"You get some calls where you're like, 'Oh, that was pretty bad,' but then you get some calls when you actually helped people, and then you feel like you matter to someone," Barr said.
Before he started his job as a firefighter, Barr said he was in college.
He decided to switch gears and become a firefighter because he wanted to do something meaningful.
"It's all about whether you're improving or not," Barr said.
Schuler said he graduated college with a degree in psychology prior to his service at CFD.
"Before this, I had a job right after college. I did not like going to work, and I will never live my life like that again," Schuler said. "I don't think anybody should."
He elaborated saying that the job was fine, but he knew in his heart he wanted to directly help people.
"Everybody has to work, so why not enjoy what you're doing?" Schuler said.
It's a rewarding feeling to serve Centerville, the firefighters said. In his 21st year of service, Dorman said that's what makes their job so great.
"We're making a difference," Dorman said. "The unfortunate part of our job is we're called to control an uncontrolled environment. That's somebody's worst day."
Dorman continued: "Knowing that we're pulling up on scene in whatever capacity we're needed — whether it's a structure fire or EMS call — we're there to help."
For people who want to serve their community in a meaningful line of work, the fire department is looking for people to join their ranks.
"If you want overall brotherhood and sense of purpose, I feel like the fire service would be your best course of action," Barr said.
Fire Chief Jason Jones says a full staff normally has five people on duty; right now, they only have four per shift.
Because of that, CFD has three firefighter positions open.
Jones said pay depends on experience, but pay starts at $18 an hour.
If you don't have experience and still want to apply, Dorman said you should!
The in-house rookie school is a 17-week course from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; training includes reading books, PowerPoint presentations, simulated situations and more drills.
Dorman said newly hired un-certified staff will go through EMS first-responder training first, then go through different firefighter 1 and firefighter 2 trainings before they're certified as a firefighter.
There are no current female firefighters serving at CFD, Jones said, but they're hoping that may change.
If you want to apply, you can click here.