AFTER THE FIRE: FIREFIGHTERS KEEP BUSY DURING DOWNTIME

Master firefighter Larry Hagan worked out on tyhe abdominal machine at the St. Francis Universal Health and Fitness Center.

Firefighter/Paramedic John Ryan studied for his Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) test. The test is given every two years to health care pr ofessionals to keep them certified in ACLS.

Master firefighter Ed Serandos washed the fire truck at Fire Station 3. All fire trucks are washed each day.

Cape Girardeau firefighters spend one-third of their lives living at the fire station, away from home, family and friends.

That's why they consider the stations where they live for 56 hours each week, in 24-hour installments, their home away from home.

"It's just like living at home," said Capt. Gordon Morgan of Station 3. "Whatever we do at home, we have to do here."

"It's a different kind of existence when you're here 24 hours straight," said Fire Chief Dan White.

Firefighters work for 24 hours straight four days a week, rotating days on and then off for four weeks. Firefighters are then given four days off, before starting the cycle all over again.

And while much of their time is spent fighting fires, there is much more that is not.

"When we come back from a fire, that's not the end, that's only the beginning," White said.

Between alarms, there is a lot of maintenance that has to be done, on equipment and the buildings themselves, White said.

Firefighters clean their stations and apparatus every day, he said. The firefighters are also responsible for preparing their own meals. They also do repair on equipment and other odds and ends chores.

Firefighters also attend events such as the SEMO District Fair and Riverfest and do public appearances at civic clubs and organizations.

In addition, firefighters are constantly training to maintain mental and physical readiness to help them perform their jobs better.

Firefighters exercise each morning, to keep their bodies in good physical shape, White said. But that's only the half of it.

Firefighter-Paramedic John Ryan said he is constantly studying to keep himself mentally fit as well.

"Either I'm studying for my paramedic (duties), or I'm studying streets and buildings," Ryan said. By that, he means he's studying where streets and blocks of those streets are in Cape Girardeau.

"When we get a call, we have to know how to get there," Ryan said. "And it's easy to fall behind unless you do it every day."

All officers are required to hone their minds and abilities to keep themselves prepared for the inevitable -- the alarm.

White said keeping the stations tidy and their minds strong is all a part of keeping themselves disciplined.

"We have to maintain this mental state of readiness," White said. "No matter what you're doing, you have to be able to drop it at a moment's notice and hit the truck."

The things firefighters do to maintain readiness -- from cleaning the fire trucks to studying Cape Girardeau streets -- is to ensure that they are ready to go, White said.

But it's not all study and cleaning and maintaining equipment. During the evening, the firefighters are given the opportunity to relax and put their boots up, White said.

They can watch television, clean their personally owned vehicles or any other personal projects.

"And we're not totally isolated," said Firefighter Michael Rodgers at Station 2. He said that wives and children can come and visit the firefighters after business hours.

"During the evening we can relax but still be ready for the alarm to go off," Rodgers said. "We do it this way because we have to. It's our bread and butter."