You don’t become a firefighter, you are. Especially if you are a member of a family with multiple firefighters. Thrills, adrenaline and waiting for the call. That’s how Vital Dez, who completed his firefighting training in the US, describes it.
Vital Thes (27) lives in Beverenstraat with his girlfriend Elaine Pugliari (27). Works as a warden at Vital Brooks. “I’ve been a volunteer firefighter since 2018,” Vitale says. “The diversity of the calls, the tension, the good camaraderie in the barracks, that’s what really attracts me to the profession.” As a volunteer firefighter you decide when you are on duty. “You go green, take a call and run away. It’s hit and miss, some days there are more calls than others,” Whittle said. “You can see the adrenaline kick in,” laughs his girlfriend Elin. “He’ll jump right up and he’s gone in no time.”
Internship in Tucson
Vitale was offered the opportunity to pursue observer training in the United States through the non-profit organization Fire Observers. “It’s a great experience to see how differently they work there,” says an excited Vidal. “They’re all professional firefighters, they’re there day and night. They’re constantly together, sleeping in camps… they’re really one. Family. Police cooperation is one thing, suppression is another. For example, they always assume that someone is inside. They entered the house without waiting. Their game is more aggressive than Belgium,” said Vitale. “I saw some traffic accidents and we had a Clean experienced a fire,” says Vidal.
In America they use different helmets, much less protective than ours
“In America they look at firefighters differently. There’s more respect. They get discounts at stores, they’re allowed to stand at the front of the line at events… They treated us so well. When I met Eileen face-to-face, they were waving in the background.
The equipment is also different. “They use different helmets. Much less protective than ours.” Vital replaced a helmet with a Belgian helmet. “Firefighters work here. “They have to work long hours at a time, which is causing the shortage of staff,” he said.
The media in the United States picked up the story and Vitale and his colleagues from Belgium and the Netherlands were interviewed. “A beautiful experience. Three channels registered. An internship is definitely recommended for every firefighter”, concludes Vitale.
