Firefighter

Firefighter
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Firefighter: Renaldo Koopman

Firefighters are primarily responsible for responding to fires, accidents and other incidents where risks are posed to life and property. This is a very dangerous profession and a special type of person is needed to fill this position. Not everyone is prepared to rush into a burning building or attempt to pull someone from a car which has caught alight.
Renaldo Koopman is a firefighter at the Fire Brigade in Windhoek under the City of Windhoek's community services department. “In this field of work there is room to improve yourself, you just have to work very hard and you must be willing to learn,” he says.
There are different types of rank structures in the fire department. It starts off with the trainee fighters, firefighter and to the sub-officer to a platoon officer. “Your title is not just as firefighter. If you do the medical side, you are exposed to whole lot more,” he says.
The job description entails maintaining vehicles and testing the equipment every morning. "We are trained to be a control room operator; there you receive all sorts of calls to assist. The community services department trains their own firefighters. All the training is done at their premises in Windhoek, and they have lecture halls and qualified lecturers which makes it easier. “The highlight of being in this industry is the home away from home that you have. My co-workers are like a family to me. If you have a fear of heights or even of confined spaces then you have to reconsider this industry,” he says.