WEBVTT 00:00.349 --> 00:03.789 Hi , I'm Airman Dawson Mancini with the 00:03.789 --> 00:07.199 171st Area Fuelling Wing . My job here 00:07.199 --> 00:09.366 is airfield management and I'm part of 00:09.366 --> 00:11.088 the Finleyville Volunteer Fire 00:11.088 --> 00:13.310 Department . When I decided to join the 00:13.310 --> 00:15.477 fire department , I was 16 . They have 00:15.477 --> 00:17.421 a junior membership program . Uh , 00:17.421 --> 00:19.588 allows you to come in under the age of 00:19.588 --> 00:19.500 18 . Once you turn 18 , you can get 00:19.500 --> 00:21.722 active membership . Some of my earliest 00:21.722 --> 00:23.889 memories involving the fire department 00:23.889 --> 00:26.111 would have to be when I was 5 . We'd go 00:26.111 --> 00:28.333 down to the fair every year , me and my 00:28.333 --> 00:30.500 family , and the fire department hosts 00:30.500 --> 00:32.611 the fair , and then we go down , play 00:32.611 --> 00:34.833 some games , ride rides , hang out with 00:34.833 --> 00:37.056 your friends , and every year we have a 00:37.056 --> 00:36.869 parade , so there'd be all kinds of 00:36.869 --> 00:39.900 fire trucks , ambulances , police cars , 00:40.029 --> 00:42.085 just everything you could think of . 00:42.085 --> 00:44.849 For me , I believe responding to calls . 00:45.290 --> 00:47.380 At a younger age or getting used to 00:47.380 --> 00:49.602 responding to calls at a younger age or 00:49.602 --> 00:51.658 seeing how the older guys respond to 00:51.658 --> 00:53.880 calls at a younger age helped me mature 00:53.880 --> 00:56.740 quicker and it helped me handle stress 00:56.740 --> 00:59.450 a lot better . I also believe that it 00:59.450 --> 01:01.819 helped me realize at times even in 01:01.819 --> 01:03.875 stressful situations you always have 01:03.875 --> 01:06.097 time to take a step back even if you're 01:06.097 --> 01:08.263 not physically taking a step back just 01:08.263 --> 01:10.375 mentally relaxing yourself and really 01:10.375 --> 01:12.319 thinking about what you're getting 01:12.319 --> 01:15.029 yourself into at that time . And I also 01:15.029 --> 01:17.196 believe that my experience in the fire 01:17.196 --> 01:19.251 department helped prepare me for the 01:19.251 --> 01:21.473 Air Force by teaching me how to work as 01:21.473 --> 01:24.230 a team . So about 2 years ago we had a 01:24.230 --> 01:26.230 structure fire with entrapment call 01:26.230 --> 01:28.452 come in and whenever that comes in it's 01:28.452 --> 01:30.563 usually a pretty big deal . Um , read 01:30.563 --> 01:32.786 the description on the way there and we 01:32.786 --> 01:32.709 found out it was a reptile rescue place 01:32.709 --> 01:34.765 right outside of South Park . We get 01:34.765 --> 01:36.931 there , we back in , we were not first 01:36.931 --> 01:38.709 on scene because we were called 01:38.709 --> 01:40.876 secondary to help out because the fire 01:40.876 --> 01:43.042 was growing pretty rapidly . So at the 01:43.042 --> 01:45.265 time I was a junior , meaning I was not 01:45.265 --> 01:47.542 able to go inside the burning building , 01:47.542 --> 01:49.598 but I was still tasked with a job to 01:49.598 --> 01:51.487 help out . So my job was to stand 01:51.487 --> 01:53.709 outside under an overhang coming off of 01:53.709 --> 01:55.487 a shed with a big tarp that was 01:55.487 --> 01:57.653 surrounded by ladders and all kinds of 01:57.653 --> 01:59.765 other stuff . We made a little kiddie 01:59.765 --> 02:01.987 pool and then I filled it up with water 02:01.987 --> 02:04.042 from one of the hand lines and I sat 02:04.042 --> 02:06.265 there with the hose and sprayed off all 02:06.265 --> 02:05.900 these reptiles that came outside of 02:05.900 --> 02:08.011 this burning building and we put them 02:08.011 --> 02:10.178 in the water to keep them cool because 02:10.178 --> 02:12.233 they're obviously overheated . And I 02:12.233 --> 02:11.983 just got to sit there and play 02:11.983 --> 02:14.094 zookeeper and hang out with all these 02:14.094 --> 02:17.423 little turtles and snakes and if you 02:17.423 --> 02:19.645 think of a reptile , it was probably in 02:19.645 --> 02:21.867 that pool with me but um I like telling 02:21.867 --> 02:24.434 that story because it shows that every 02:24.434 --> 02:26.490 job is important on the fire scene , 02:26.490 --> 02:28.545 not always inside a burning building 02:28.545 --> 02:30.490 fighting a fire , but you're doing 02:30.490 --> 02:32.712 something to help the cause . My job in 02:32.712 --> 02:34.767 the Air Force is airfield management 02:34.767 --> 02:36.934 and the best way I can quickly explain 02:36.934 --> 02:38.990 that to somebody in the simplest way 02:38.990 --> 02:40.990 possible is I'm a secretary for the 02:40.990 --> 02:42.823 pilots and I'm a foreman for the 02:42.823 --> 02:45.045 airfield . When I put on this uniform , 02:45.045 --> 02:46.934 I feel like I'm part of something 02:46.934 --> 02:49.660 really big . The Air Force is such an 02:49.660 --> 02:51.779 amazing thing to me it is crazy how 02:51.779 --> 02:53.779 well people work together up here , 02:54.059 --> 02:56.281 especially in my building . I enjoy the 02:56.281 --> 02:58.448 atmosphere . But it gives me some sort 02:58.448 --> 03:00.559 of pride that I'm a part of something 03:00.559 --> 03:02.892 really big and with the fire department . 03:03.789 --> 03:07.479 The uniform or gear . Feels a lot 03:07.479 --> 03:09.590 different because it's really heavy . 03:12.220 --> 03:15.289 But besides the weight difference I 03:15.289 --> 03:17.690 enjoy both communities equally . The 03:17.690 --> 03:19.649 fire department is a very tight 03:19.649 --> 03:21.760 brotherhood we've all grown up around 03:21.760 --> 03:24.210 or in the same area . My best friend is 03:24.210 --> 03:26.377 a part of the department and I've made 03:26.377 --> 03:28.599 so many friends through that department 03:28.599 --> 03:30.850 that it also just amazes me as much as 03:30.850 --> 03:33.072 the Air Force does . It's not as big as 03:33.072 --> 03:35.239 the Air Force , but it's definitely as 03:35.239 --> 03:37.461 strong as the Air Force in my opinion . 03:37.461 --> 03:39.628 To me service isn't just something you 03:39.628 --> 03:41.739 do when you clock in , it's something 03:41.739 --> 03:43.683 you do in your everyday life . Any 03:43.683 --> 03:42.929 opportunity that I get to serve 03:42.929 --> 03:45.096 somebody or help them succeed at their 03:45.096 --> 03:47.262 goals , I like to take and do the best 03:47.262 --> 03:47.970 job that I can .