CLEBURNE, Texas—
Firefighters in the Metroplex wake up every day and battle blazes in triple digit heat. The 33 News got exclusive access to the "Training Division" facilities in Crowley and Cleburne, Texas to see how a group of 20 fire fighting students are battling blazes and the heat."It's extremely different from being up in Alaska," said Tab Key, a firefighter from Alaska. "I came here because I thought, if I can handle any fire in Texas in the middle of the summer, I can sit next to a fire in Alaska."
Key and the 19 others at the training have to put on 60 pounds of clothing and gear every time they run a scenario using real fire.
"I thought I could handle the heat in Texas. It intensifies it times 10 when you put on the fire gear," Key told The 33 News.
To get a feel for what it's like to be a firefighter in the summer, The 33 News reporter Daniel Novick put on all the fire fighting gear, and took part in one training scenario. After 10 minutes, Novick was exhausted and covered in sweat.
Once firefighters are done and take their gear off, they must still deal with the summer heat, and that's when the real danger begins.
"A heart attack or stroke is the No. 1 killer of firefighters in the fire service," said city of Joshua Fire Chief Wayne Baker.
Baker, an 18 year fire fighting veteran, said hot temps means more crews are needed to keep everyone safe.
"Just being in the heat will wear you down and make you more tired," said Baker.
Despite the challenges, the firefighters at the training in Cleburne wouldn't have it any other way.
"I picked the best career in the world," said Key.
