WHILE it’s a profession that is not without its difficulties, Lisnaskea man Stephen Johnston says there is no better feeling than serving the community as a firefighter. 
The 33 year old, who is based at Lisnaskea Fire Station, has spoken of the challenges that he and his colleagues face while responding to fires, road traffic collisions, flooding and other emergencies. 
“Being a community firefighter can be very demanding, physically and mentally, and it’s a very unpredictable job when you work on call as I do. 
“You don’t know when, where or what the next call is going to be but at the end of the day that’s simply the nature of the job and that’s what we have signed up to do,” Mr. Johnston told The Impartial Reporter.
“The unpredictable nature of the job does have an impact on my social life and family time but my family, friends and employer are very supportive of my role as a firefighter and they understand,” he said.
As well as being available to respond to calls when alerted by his pager, Mr. Johnston must be able to get to the station within five minutes of the pager sounding. 
“There really is no such thing as an average day when you are a community firefighter, some weeks are busier than others due to the number of incidents we are called to attend. 
“However, we do attend a weekly drill night at the station for a couple of hours to train in order to keep our skills fresh and updated. There is always something new to learn,” he said. 
He describes it as “such an important job” and added. 
“When your alerter goes off, you know that someone’s life or property is in severe danger. 
“As firefighters, we are the ones running towards danger to help while others are running away from it to safety.”
Mr. Johnston speaks of the “mixture of emotions” he feels when called to an incident. 
“First there is the adrenaline that we could be going to a big incident and may get the chance to save someone’s life or their property. At the same time you can also feel a bit nervous or worried about what you are going to be faced with and you hope that everyone involved stays safe.”
The most challenging incidents are house fires and road traffic collisions, he says.
“It’s not nice to see a family lose everything they ever owned and worked for destroyed in a house fire in a matter of minutes. However, losing possessions is nothing compared to losing a loved one in a house fire.
“Road traffic collisions are never easy. At the scene of an incident you don’t stop to think about these things, you have a job to do and you get on with it. It’s after the incident is finished and you see the look on people’s faces after they have lost a loved one or their home that stays with you for a long time,” he said. 
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is currently recruiting for Community (part-time) firefighters at 12 fire stations across Northern Ireland, including Belleek and Lisnaskea Station. Apply online at www.nifrs.org. The closing date for applications is today (Friday) at 3pm.