Firefighter describes his experiences
By Holly Neumann
It is Fire Prevention Week, and Dan Dane is sharing his experiences of being a firefighter.
Dane grew up in the Milwaukee area.
He and his wife Shannon moved to Iola with their son Xander in 2016.
By August, he had joined the Iola and Rural Fire and Ambulance Department.
“All in, I have been a firefighter for 10 years,” he said. “Starting with my first department in the town of Somers in Kenosha County while I was still in college, then moving to town of Brookfield Fire Department and finally with Iola, where I intend to finish my firefighting career.”
There were several reasons why Dane wanted to be a firefighter.
“Primarily, my dad was a firefighter before I was born in Hales Corners, and then Franklin, so I literally grew up in the fire house,” he said. “As they say, it’s in the blood.”
Community service
Dane appreciates the opportunity to serve his community.
“I also love the science of it – the physics, heat dynamics and ventilation strategy of it all,” Dane said.
In simplest terms, he describes his job as putting water on flames.
“Obviously it is so much more than that,” said Dane. “We are always on call and always firefighters.”
Public awareness and perception also come into play.
“We are servants to the community, and with that comes a tremendous amount of responsibility and awareness in what we do every day, on a call or not,” he said.
When his pager goes off, Dane and his fellow firefighters drop everything.
“The middle of the night pages are a challenge, or when I am at my son’s events or with my family in general,” he said. “Dropping what we are doing and responding to a call, because this community, in that moment, needs me the most.”
Hazards of fighting fires
Dane describes what it is like to go into a burning building.
“It is intense. It’s hot, dark and usually smoky,” he said. “We are on our hands and knees typically, lugging an additional 75 pounds of gear on our person. The tools we bring in to fight the fire make it very physically demanding.”
Firefighters go where no one else goes.
“Every firefighter loves this part of the job,” he said. “The risk can be substantial, but it is necessary. Crawling into the dark, hot smoke, hose and tools in hand, with my fellow brothers and sisters to save people and/or property is exciting, dangerous, intense and completely worthwhile.”
Nothing is more important than his fellow firefighters when battling a blaze.
“This is why we call each other ‘brother or ‘sister,’” Dane said. “We love each other. Our first priority is our safety and the safety of our fellow brothers and sisters. This is why we consistently train and challenge ourselves.”
They are one unit, working together for a common cause.
“From the officer that is directing from the big picture, to the engineer supplying water, to those that make entry or are supporting us through EMS or other activities,” he said. “We need to be able to trust in our training, but more importantly in each other, because mistakes are literally deadly.”
They communicate in the dark with zero visibility and know what each one is doing and what needs to be done without necessarily verbalizing it.
“This is huge,” said Dane. “Training together, being on the same page, knowing what specific skills that our fellow brothers and sisters have and applying them builds that trust so we know that at the end of the call, we will all be going home to our ‘other’ families.”
Some call firefighters crazy for wanting to do that.
“I would agree with them,” he said. “It is crazy what we do, but not crazy that we do it. It takes a very specific personality trait, a character trait if you will, that we are willing to sacrifice for our community.”
Community servants, heroes
“None of us thinks we are heroes. We are servants, nothing more. We do what we do for the greater well-being,” he said. “We train, work hard and stay engaged not for the recognition, but because it is who we are. If that makes us heroes, so be it.”
Dane believes fire departments are an invaluable part of the community.
“We are the last human hope in the midst of a crisis, during the worst moments of their lives, and we respond day or night, holiday or work day, during weekends, birthdays, anniversaries, in the middle of dinner,” he said. “We can be, along with our schools, the epicenter of our communities because of the service orientation of what we do. We are here for you always.”
The hardest part of a firefighters job is having the resources and assets necessary to provide the level of service the fire district demands, especially in a volunteer organization.
“I had an instructor say to us during a certification that volunteer or career, we are all professional firefighters. Some just are lucky enough to make a career out of it,” said Dane. “Balancing family obligations, employment commitments, continuous education and training and the needs of the community is a challenge, but also the most rewarding.”
Those interested in joining the local department may call 715-445-2515.
“Know that it will be a substantial commitment, that training is lengthy but worthwhile. You will gain a new family and will be providing a service that few can do. If the capability is there, act on it,” Dane said.