Being a DeKalb firefighter comes with both a demanding schedule and a sense of community.

The firefighters begin their day long shifts, starting from 7 a.m. continuing through the following day, and usually working three shifts a week. They use time in the morning to inspect the vehicles and tools to ensure they are properly ready for a call during the day or night.

However, time is not always on their side when preparing for a call said Battalion Chief James Zarek.

“Last week, we received a call at 7 a.m. and 30 seconds. The men just had to work with what they had and respond quickly to the call,” Zarek said.

The fire department receives and responds to a variety of calls everyday.

“The biggest misconception about being a firefighter is that people only think of us as responding to fires when we respond to calls about almost anything,” said firefighter paramedic Zak Prielipp. “About 75 percent of our calls are medical related so we use our ambulances quite often. People do not realize that we are trained to do both fire rescue and medical calls.”

In order to respond to the different types of calls the fire department receives, they utilize a tone alert device and PA system to pass out emergency information to the firefighters efficiently. A loud beep is sounded across the intercoms followed by a description of the call, which informs the crew as to which vehicle and situation they should prepare.

The fire department has a variety of vehicles at each station, including fire engines, fire trucks and ambulances. The fire engine is used to put out flames quickly. It carries 750 gallons of water, a pump hose and a ground ladder. The fire truck differs from the engine because it’s used for rescue and ventilation purposes. It has a large hydraulic ladder on top of the vehicle and carries 250 gallons of water. Each vehicle has a panel on the side to control the water pressure. Algebraic equations are used to determine what pressure is best for the situation.

The stations also have six ambulances, three of which are staffed at all times. The other three are on reserve in case a call requires extra medical backup. The DeKalb Fire Department utilizes the three reserved ambulances for events such as NIU football games, as it is required by the NCAA to have an ambulance at each game.

In order to ensure the firefighters are up to date with proper procedures, firefighters are required to spend time training during each shift. These training sessions happen throughout the day, and vary from hands-on fire training and rescue techniques, to working in the classroom of their station. Part of this training involves memorizing the geography of their jurisdiction, and being orally tested on their knowledge to ensure efficiency.

After training, the firefighters have free time to relax by watching TV, working out, and sleeping in the bunk room.

“The best way to imagine a fire station is that its a big house with a big garage,” Zarek said.

Each station is equipped with work out equipment for firefighters to utilize during their free time.

The fitness equipment is important to have in the stations said firefighter paramedic Andrew Romano.

“I love having the fitness area in the station. With this job, you need to have the combination of strength, endurance, and flexibility,” Romano said. “Cause when you put on the gear, you add 60 pounds of weight and then you add even more when carrying tools.”

The work out equipment and other fire station items are paid for by the Foreign Fire Insurance fund.

“Money that comes from the Foreign Fire Insurance premium fund is collected from companies of outside states’ insurance taxes. We get a certain amount of money per year to get things to benefit the people of the fire department,” Zarek said. “That is how we use money to purchase the TV’s and other things. We do not use resident tax dollars.”