Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Firefighters are responsible for the prevention and suppression of all destructive fires and have one of the most stressful occupations as they are exposed to a range of demands and must be ready to respond to a broad range of emergencies. Firefighters often face critical situations where in they witness casualties that affect their psychological and physiological well-being. The study focuses on the lived experiences and the impact of these experiences to the lifestyle of a firefighter. Specifically, it is concentrated on the impacts of work to firefighters’ lifestyle. The challenges they face during their work and coping mechanisms. The research method used for this paper is qualitative approach specifically with a phenomenological research design. The researchers used a semi-structured interview making inference based on perspective wherein the researchers interviewed a group of individuals who have first-hand knowledge of the event, situation, or experience. The analyzation of the data gathered used thematization to consider and interpret verbal data, or behavioral data. The findings of this study reveal that firefighting does affect one’s life in many ways; mostly the time for yourself, families, and peers. The themes that emerged from the interview included the challenges, coping mechanisms needed, and impact of firefighting. Firefighting isn’t just suppressing fire, it’s about saving someone’s life, your life, and the greater community.