where legends are made

Adam Howard – The Heroes Among Us

  • July 24th, 2022

On that tragic day of September 11, 2001, over 2,900 people lost their lives, and of those people, 343 were firefighters (“FireRescue1”). Every firefighter that day put their life on the line to perform a job that not too many people would do. Since that day, America has built a unifying love for our firefighters, which still stands strong today. They go through a lot of stress and experience many horrible things while putting their life on the line to save others. This is why it is important to recognize firefighters as heroes and honor them for their sacrifice and courage.

My former high school cross country coach, Amber Wood, has been a Paramedic/Fighter for 16 years in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. She has experienced and seen many things that most people cannot comprehend. Amber decided to take on this challenging job because of three reasons. “First,” she said with a smile on her face, “somebody told me as a woman that I would not be a very good firefighter. I don’t like being told what I can and can’t do, so that kind of lit a fire under my butt (no pun intended). So, I said, here, hold my drink because I am going to prove you wrong.” And she did just that. At the first practice session to become a firefighter, she completed the timed event after her second try with no training or preparation beforehand. After that, she passed all her classes and gained all the certifications and training needed to become a Paramedic/Firefighter. Even today, she is still working hard in her profession but is currently in the process to become an officer in the fire department, which is an even greater achievement. The second reason Amber stated was, “I needed a job that was “moveable,” because my husband was in the Navy.”  She explained the benefit of being a Paramedic/Firefighter, “…there is a thing called reciprocity.” Reciprocity allows firefighters to transfer their previous certifications to other states as long as they meet the requirements to join that specific fire department. The last and most crucial reason Amber stated is that she loves helping people and always had a niche for medical stuff. During our interview, she equated the human body to a car that needs maintenance and upkeep to run at an optimal level. However, she said, “I don’t think we as humans always pay enough attention to that side of it (our body) until something starts to not work right…or breaks down. But it’s an over-the-lifetime type of choice that we have to make, and most of us wait until something falls apart.” Amber loves being a paramedic because she gets to help people that are struggling physically or medically. Although, the most enjoyable part of her job is the challenge that comes from having to deal with the fire and rescue side of it. Her determination and willingness to take on challenges have helped her excel in her career.

The only downside of being a Paramedic/Firefighter is the stress of always needing to prepare for any situation. Sometimes calls are not always what they seem. Amber recalls a cold winter day when her fire station got dispatched to a call for a 78-year-old woman having a stroke. The high-rise building where the elderly woman resided, was only about a block and a half from the hospital and it could be seen from the front door of the building. That said, Amber and the other firefighters were not in a panic because the hospital was just around the corner, and they had been through this kind of situation a countless number of times. Although, unknowingly, this situation was going to be something completely different.

As soon as they made their way up to the 13th floor and stepped off the elevator, Amber heard something that sounded like a gunshot. “Unfortunately, a gunshot is not a very uncommon thing in the city of Norfolk,” Amber said. “Since it was muffled,  I assumed that it came from outside, and had nothing to do with  the call I was on.” Amber and the other firefighters, ignored the gunshot and continued to make their way to the apartment where dispatch told them they would find the elderly woman. However, after knocking on the door and announcing themselves three times, they did not receive an answer at the door. Upon trying to open the door, they realized that it was unlocked. “This gave me the heebie-jeebies,” Amber said. As they entered the apartment they continued announcing themselves just in case someone was in the apartment.

“Hello! Hello!” Amber said while taking a step into the apartment hesitantly.

In a split second, out of the corner of her eye, she saw an elderly woman matching the description, standing in the middle of the apartment.

“Did you call for us?” Amber said questioningly.

“No.” said the elderly woman.

“Are you hurting or anything?”

“Na, I am alright.”

“Is there anyone else in the apartment with you?”

“Yeah, just my son. He is in his bedroom right over there,” said the elderly woman, pointing down the hallway toward a door.

Amber had a strange suspicion rush over her. She made her way over to the door just in case the woman’s son was the one who called 911. As soon as Amber approached the door, she noticed a cool breeze coming from underneath the door. “Hello, fire department! Did you call 911?” she said loudly while knocking on the door. Like last time, there was no response nor any sound of motion coming from the other side of the door. Amber decided to open the door and to check to see if the elderly lady’s son was alright. Immediately, as she entered the room, a cool winter breeze filled her lungs, and a shiver went down her spine. A window was open in the room allowing the cold winter air in, which Amber thought was very odd for someone to do during the winter. To the right of the door was a bed with a man, wrapped up like a burrito in white blankets on the bed.  “Hello, Sir?” she said while shaking his foot trying to wake him up. “Are you ok?” Instead of a normal response, Amber heard irregular breathing and a gurgling sound coming from the man’s mouth. She quickly ran over to the headrest and pulled the blankets off of his head, at that moment she realized what had happened. The man had a large hole in his cheek and a gun in his hand that was cocked back and ready to fire another round.

In a split second, Amber yelled over her radio, “Send me PD expeditiously please! Code Red!” Code Red in firefighter terms means that a person is in cardiac arrest and can die within minutes if not treated quickly. Once hearing Amber scream, all the other firefighters in the apartment sprinted over to the room and accessed the situation. Amber began doing procedures to keep the man alive, while one of the other firefighters grabbed the gun from the man’s hand, and secured it in a safe place. Another firefighter standing outside of the room noticed that there were multiple firearms lying around unsecured. This put them in a dangerous position, but they had no other choice but to save this man’s life instead of waiting for the police to come and secure the area. Since their backboard could not fit into the elevator, they had to place him on a folding stretcher and get him to the ambulance as quickly as possible. By the time they got him in the ambulance and to the back doors of the hospital, the man had no pulse and showed no signs of life. This made the situation ten times more stressful and Amber had no idea what else they could do besides begin CPR. Unfortunately, the elderly women’s son died that night and left Amber in a state of shock from all the stress she experienced.

After the incident, Amber found out that the man’s elderly mother was hard of hearing, and did not hear the gunshot when her son shot himself. That is why the elderly woman was very confused about why the firefighters were taking her son to the hospital and why the police showed up at her apartment. Also, Amber found out that the police believed her son had called 911 to report his mother having a stroke just in case his mother did hear the gunshot and freaked out. He then wrapped himself up like a burrito to muffle the gunshot and reduce the blood splatter that his mother would have seen. It was a very crazy and stressful incident that has been stuck in Amber’s mind through the years.

Amber equated the stress level of a firefighter to a wet paper towel. “Just imagine dipping the corner of a piece of paper towel into some water. The more you dip it or the longer you hold it in the water, the more the water rises in the paper towel until it is soaking wet and falls apart.” Amber said. “We get taught the skills of how to do our job, but we don’t get taught the skills on how to deal with the emotional trauma that comes from our job having to see the ugliest of things.” That is why Amber has learned the importance of outlets, like coaching cross country. She says it helps her “squeeze out” some of the stress from her job so that she can go back to work and take on more stress without falling apart. “I get to interact with the good and hopefulness that life has to offer by working with young high school students,” she said while fighting back tears. After dealing with so many stressful situations on her job, coaching cross country allows her to relax and forget about some of the more horrific events. “It’s a bright spot that I get to look at every day,” she said almost in tears.

The last thing Amber and I talked about during our interview was how being a Paramedic/Firefighter changed her as a person. The first thing she stated was, “I don’t necessarily worry about the little things anymore. The little things are molehills compared to the mountains I sometimes have to deal with.” However, the only issue with this she stated was, “I have had to learn how to put up walls to protect myself and my mental stability.” As a result, despite having a lot of compassion for people, her compassion is mainly reserved for those who actually need it. For example, she finds it hilarious hearing about one of her runner’s “stressful day” at school and the little things they complain about which never affects their lives in any shape or form. Amber recalled the cross country meet, that she attended an hour before our interview, and how a girl was complaining about the rain.

“Are you made of sugar?” Amber asked the girl sarcastically.

“What?” said the girl with a confused look on her face.

“Are you made of sugar?”

“No…” said the girl with an even more confused look on her face.

“Then you don’t have to worry about melting. Water is just water,”

“I don’t know what to say about that.”

“I know you know I am right,” said Amber with a smile on her face while laughing.

It is moments like this that Amber enjoys the most. The last way being a Paramedic/Firefighter has changed her as a person she stated, “besides being a little sassy, sarcastic, sassafras that I am, it has given me a really unique sense of humor.” Her sarcastic humor and wit have helped her cope with a lot of her stress. Sometimes though she stated, her humor can be a little warped because of the horrors she has seen, but she feels it helps her and other firefighters deal with the stress and horrific events they encounter.

Amber is a unique person, who has been through a lot and has seen things that not many people can carry on their shoulders. Through my interview with her, I have gained a better understanding and appreciation of why Paramedics/Firefighters do the job they do. Also, it helped me understand how they handle the stress they encounter and the ways they are affected by it personally. I am truly honored to have interviewed Amber. The bravery and selflessness both her and other firefighters display make them true heroes among us.

Work Cited

“How Many Firefighters Died on 9/11?” FireRescue1, 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.Firerescue1.com/9-11/articles/how-many-firefighters-died-on-911-SKaClbnYxUtzowuK/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2021.

Categories: Uncategorized

Adam Howard – The Heroes Among Us

  • July 24th, 2022

On that tragic day of September 11, 2001, over 2,900 people lost their lives, and of those people, 343 were firefighters (“FireRescue1”). Every firefighter that day put their life on the line to perform a job that not too many people would do. Since that day, America has built a unifying love for our firefighters, which still stands strong today. They go through a lot of stress and experience many horrible things while putting their life on the line to save others. This is why it is important to recognize firefighters as heroes and honor them for their sacrifice and courage.

My former high school cross country coach, Amber Wood, has been a Paramedic/Fighter for 16 years in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. She has experienced and seen many things that most people cannot comprehend. Amber decided to take on this challenging job because of three reasons. “First,” she said with a smile on her face, “somebody told me as a woman that I would not be a very good firefighter. I don’t like being told what I can and can’t do, so that kind of lit a fire under my butt (no pun intended). So, I said, here, hold my drink because I am going to prove you wrong.” And she did just that. At the first practice session to become a firefighter, she completed the timed event after her second try with no training or preparation beforehand. After that, she passed all her classes and gained all the certifications and training needed to become a Paramedic/Firefighter. Even today, she is still working hard in her profession but is currently in the process to become an officer in the fire department, which is an even greater achievement. The second reason Amber stated was, “I needed a job that was “moveable,” because my husband was in the Navy.”  She explained the benefit of being a Paramedic/Firefighter, “…there is a thing called reciprocity.” Reciprocity allows firefighters to transfer their previous certifications to other states as long as they meet the requirements to join that specific fire department. The last and most crucial reason Amber stated is that she loves helping people and always had a niche for medical stuff. During our interview, she equated the human body to a car that needs maintenance and upkeep to run at an optimal level. However, she said, “I don’t think we as humans always pay enough attention to that side of it (our body) until something starts to not work right…or breaks down. But it’s an over-the-lifetime type of choice that we have to make, and most of us wait until something falls apart.” Amber loves being a paramedic because she gets to help people that are struggling physically or medically. Although, the most enjoyable part of her job is the challenge that comes from having to deal with the fire and rescue side of it. Her determination and willingness to take on challenges have helped her excel in her career.

The only downside of being a Paramedic/Firefighter is the stress of always needing to prepare for any situation. Sometimes calls are not always what they seem. Amber recalls a cold winter day when her fire station got dispatched to a call for a 78-year-old woman having a stroke. The high-rise building where the elderly woman resided, was only about a block and a half from the hospital and it could be seen from the front door of the building. That said, Amber and the other firefighters were not in a panic because the hospital was just around the corner, and they had been through this kind of situation a countless number of times. Although, unknowingly, this situation was going to be something completely different.

As soon as they made their way up to the 13th floor and stepped off the elevator, Amber heard something that sounded like a gunshot. “Unfortunately, a gunshot is not a very uncommon thing in the city of Norfolk,” Amber said. “Since it was muffled,  I assumed that it came from outside, and had nothing to do with  the call I was on.” Amber and the other firefighters, ignored the gunshot and continued to make their way to the apartment where dispatch told them they would find the elderly woman. However, after knocking on the door and announcing themselves three times, they did not receive an answer at the door. Upon trying to open the door, they realized that it was unlocked. “This gave me the heebie-jeebies,” Amber said. As they entered the apartment they continued announcing themselves just in case someone was in the apartment.

“Hello! Hello!” Amber said while taking a step into the apartment hesitantly.

In a split second, out of the corner of her eye, she saw an elderly woman matching the description, standing in the middle of the apartment.

“Did you call for us?” Amber said questioningly.

“No.” said the elderly woman.

“Are you hurting or anything?”

“Na, I am alright.”

“Is there anyone else in the apartment with you?”

“Yeah, just my son. He is in his bedroom right over there,” said the elderly woman, pointing down the hallway toward a door.

Amber had a strange suspicion rush over her. She made her way over to the door just in case the woman’s son was the one who called 911. As soon as Amber approached the door, she noticed a cool breeze coming from underneath the door. “Hello, fire department! Did you call 911?” she said loudly while knocking on the door. Like last time, there was no response nor any sound of motion coming from the other side of the door. Amber decided to open the door and to check to see if the elderly lady’s son was alright. Immediately, as she entered the room, a cool winter breeze filled her lungs, and a shiver went down her spine. A window was open in the room allowing the cold winter air in, which Amber thought was very odd for someone to do during the winter. To the right of the door was a bed with a man, wrapped up like a burrito in white blankets on the bed.  “Hello, Sir?” she said while shaking his foot trying to wake him up. “Are you ok?” Instead of a normal response, Amber heard irregular breathing and a gurgling sound coming from the man’s mouth. She quickly ran over to the headrest and pulled the blankets off of his head, at that moment she realized what had happened. The man had a large hole in his cheek and a gun in his hand that was cocked back and ready to fire another round.

In a split second, Amber yelled over her radio, “Send me PD expeditiously please! Code Red!” Code Red in firefighter terms means that a person is in cardiac arrest and can die within minutes if not treated quickly. Once hearing Amber scream, all the other firefighters in the apartment sprinted over to the room and accessed the situation. Amber began doing procedures to keep the man alive, while one of the other firefighters grabbed the gun from the man’s hand, and secured it in a safe place. Another firefighter standing outside of the room noticed that there were multiple firearms lying around unsecured. This put them in a dangerous position, but they had no other choice but to save this man’s life instead of waiting for the police to come and secure the area. Since their backboard could not fit into the elevator, they had to place him on a folding stretcher and get him to the ambulance as quickly as possible. By the time they got him in the ambulance and to the back doors of the hospital, the man had no pulse and showed no signs of life. This made the situation ten times more stressful and Amber had no idea what else they could do besides begin CPR. Unfortunately, the elderly women’s son died that night and left Amber in a state of shock from all the stress she experienced.

After the incident, Amber found out that the man’s elderly mother was hard of hearing, and did not hear the gunshot when her son shot himself. That is why the elderly woman was very confused about why the firefighters were taking her son to the hospital and why the police showed up at her apartment. Also, Amber found out that the police believed her son had called 911 to report his mother having a stroke just in case his mother did hear the gunshot and freaked out. He then wrapped himself up like a burrito to muffle the gunshot and reduce the blood splatter that his mother would have seen. It was a very crazy and stressful incident that has been stuck in Amber’s mind through the years.

Amber equated the stress level of a firefighter to a wet paper towel. “Just imagine dipping the corner of a piece of paper towel into some water. The more you dip it or the longer you hold it in the water, the more the water rises in the paper towel until it is soaking wet and falls apart.” Amber said. “We get taught the skills of how to do our job, but we don’t get taught the skills on how to deal with the emotional trauma that comes from our job having to see the ugliest of things.” That is why Amber has learned the importance of outlets, like coaching cross country. She says it helps her “squeeze out” some of the stress from her job so that she can go back to work and take on more stress without falling apart. “I get to interact with the good and hopefulness that life has to offer by working with young high school students,” she said while fighting back tears. After dealing with so many stressful situations on her job, coaching cross country allows her to relax and forget about some of the more horrific events. “It’s a bright spot that I get to look at every day,” she said almost in tears.

The last thing Amber and I talked about during our interview was how being a Paramedic/Firefighter changed her as a person. The first thing she stated was, “I don’t necessarily worry about the little things anymore. The little things are molehills compared to the mountains I sometimes have to deal with.” However, the only issue with this she stated was, “I have had to learn how to put up walls to protect myself and my mental stability.” As a result, despite having a lot of compassion for people, her compassion is mainly reserved for those who actually need it. For example, she finds it hilarious hearing about one of her runner’s “stressful day” at school and the little things they complain about which never affects their lives in any shape or form. Amber recalled the cross country meet, that she attended an hour before our interview, and how a girl was complaining about the rain.

“Are you made of sugar?” Amber asked the girl sarcastically.

“What?” said the girl with a confused look on her face.

“Are you made of sugar?”

“No…” said the girl with an even more confused look on her face.

“Then you don’t have to worry about melting. Water is just water,”

“I don’t know what to say about that.”

“I know you know I am right,” said Amber with a smile on her face while laughing.

It is moments like this that Amber enjoys the most. The last way being a Paramedic/Firefighter has changed her as a person she stated, “besides being a little sassy, sarcastic, sassafras that I am, it has given me a really unique sense of humor.” Her sarcastic humor and wit have helped her cope with a lot of her stress. Sometimes though she stated, her humor can be a little warped because of the horrors she has seen, but she feels it helps her and other firefighters deal with the stress and horrific events they encounter.

Amber is a unique person, who has been through a lot and has seen things that not many people can carry on their shoulders. Through my interview with her, I have gained a better understanding and appreciation of why Paramedics/Firefighters do the job they do. Also, it helped me understand how they handle the stress they encounter and the ways they are affected by it personally. I am truly honored to have interviewed Amber. The bravery and selflessness both her and other firefighters display make them true heroes among us.

Work Cited

“How Many Firefighters Died on 9/11?” FireRescue1, 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.Firerescue1.com/9-11/articles/how-many-firefighters-died-on-911-SKaClbnYxUtzowuK/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2021.