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"Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue invited me to join three of their probationary recruits during their two-week rookie training course in June. It was probably the most challenging experience I've had both physically and mentally.My first day was simply classroom work, trying on the mask and doing what's called the mask fit test to make sure it is working properly. You follow prompts on a machine and do things like bend over, up and down, up and down, deep breaths, slow breaths, read off a paper again and again -it made me dizzy! Twice I failed the test! Twice!! I thought to myself, \"if I can't pass this test what's the rest of the experience going to be like?\"MOBILE/TABLET USERS: Tap Here to Watch Video\u00A0The classroom work included a lot of math and science. Everything first responders learn is key to not only saving a victim's life, but saving their own and staying safe. Safety is a MUST through out every step.From the classroom to the \"dressing room\" -- even putting on the uniform is not easy. I found out firefighters have to be able to put on all their turnout gear in less than two minutes before responding to an emergency.If I got dressed in under 10 minutes, I would say I was doing good that day. There's just so many clips and buckles and snaps and latches. There's a lot to remember before you even grab a hose!SLIDESHOW: See photos from Stephanie's week of firefighter training\u00A0Speaking of hoses I couldn't reach the hose located on the back of the fire truck. I had to have someone help hand it down to me (I'm barely 5'2''!) Once I got hold of it, I learned how to pull the hose off the truck and hook it up to a hydrant checking for proper water pressure and signaling the truck driver. Then came the fun part --spraying the hose! I jokingly say I \"grew a muscle\" that day because of the strength it took to aim and hold the hose. Thankfully, one of the other rookies stood behind me otherwise I think the pressure would've knocked me off my feet!I also learned something very interesting. Fire fighters hook the hoses up in a specific way so that once they're inside a burning building, if they get disoriented they can feel for the hose and find their way back to the truck.The saying goes, \"smooth, bump, bump, back to the pump.\"As we all know, firefighters do more than put out flames. They respond to car accidents and other medical emergencies. During my rookie training I learned vehicle extrication techniques and got the chance to use the jaws of life, which by the way is incredibly heavy. Fire fighters have to properly stabilize vehicles and understand their undercarriage structure.In addition to that, they know CPR and other life saving techniques. Fire fighters are very knowledgeable, intelligent and on top of it all really, really strong.Part of that strength I discovered comes in the form of swimming. I spent one morning in a pool. Why a pool? Well, it turns out each rookie has to experience what it's like to be submerged in water while wearing their full turnout gear. I learned the reason they do this is because a lot of times when responding to a smoke filled backyard, Florida firefighters can slip and fall into a pool, pond or other body of water so they have to know what to do. I thought for sure I would sink! It turns out, you don't! Well, at least not right away. You can float a certain way and swim to the side and pull yourself out before you start to sink.However, I think the greatest test of strength came five days into the program when I had to complete the 100 foot ladder climb. I was in full turnout gear including air tanks which is about 45 lbs. of additional weight and then I had to climb the ladder which was positioned at a 65 degree angle. I thought for sure the height would bother me, but oh no! I was too focused on the pain in my legs to be afraid of heights! My calves were burning; my quads were burning.One of the fire fighters warned me that the first two sections of the ladder were the easiest. It was the third section that would get to you. He was right! I made it to the last section of the ladder and I had to stop because I was in pain and agony and had to take a break. That's when I thought about 9/11.My Dad is a 9/11 survivor and he always talks about seeing the firefighters climb past him in the stairwell on the 65th floor of the North Tower. I thought to myself, \"some of those guys climbed a hundred stories...\" a hundred stories! I was climbing 9 to 10 stories. If they could climb 100 stories and rescue people on 9/11 I was going to get to the top of that ladder.So I just kept climbing and got to the top and threw myself into the bucket and said, \"Just leave me here. I'm not climbing back down. Take me down in the bucket!\"By the way, it's a great view if you can get to the top!I also learned how to repel down the side of a building, which is how firefighter's escape in what's called a \"bail out situation.\" It involved learning how to make a lot of different types of knots. They attach a rope to anything inside a building that's larger than the actual window frame and then heave themselves out the window and repel to safety.All these lessons culminated with the final challenge -- experiencing what it's like to be in an actual fire. For that we headed to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue's flashover simulator a.k.a \"The Can\" (a modified shipping container) located off Southern Boulevard.One of the things fire fighters have to be really aware of when they approach a burning building is the roll over or \"flashover.\" That's when you see dark, black smoke billowing out, which is combustible and can literally explode. Many fire fighters have died in flashovers, so they want to make sure every young recruit knows what signs to look for and to experience the beginning stages of a flashover so they learn not to panic and how to safely fight it.It was my first time going into an enclosed space with massive flames and searing heat. It was so hot. I remember sweating profusely and the only little bit of vision we had was from the thermal imaging camera.Try this: close your eyes and imagine being in all that heavy equipment, in a building you're unfamiliar with, your adrenaline's pumping, you have to search for victims, you have to drag and pull the hose, you have to make sure your fellow firefighters aren't in any danger... there's so many different variables happening all at once.I stayed towards the back of \"the Can\" away from the burning pile of hay. I watched as the thick, black smoke curled over our heads and in minutes we were enveloped in darkness. The shipping container suddenly felt a lot smaller.Each rookie had to take their turn on the hose, but I couldn't see a thing! It's not like in the movies or on TV when you firefighters appear to see each other and can talk to each other through the smoke. It's not accurate at all. I literally could not see my gloved hand in front of my mask. Everything else I discovered had to be done by feel. We were only in \"the Can\" for 10 minutes, but it felt like an eternity to me. I couldn't wait to get out!I honestly don't know how these men and women do it. It amazes me the obstacles they face every day and the challenges they overcome and the dangerous situations they put themselves in for us, the public. We are complete strangers to them, but they are willing to risk their own lives to come to our aid. The ability to save someone's life is what matters most to them. They put their lives on the line every single day without hesitation. It's truly incredible.After this experience, not only am I grateful our community has such amazing first responders, but I realized there are two types of people in this world: those that rescue and those that need rescuing. I think I'm definitely the type that needs rescuing!Thank you Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue for an unforgettable experience! God bless and stay safe heroes!IMAGES: Stephanie Berzkinski's week of Rookie Firefighter Training\u00A0\u00A0\u00A0"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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