“I want to be a firefighter!” Plenty of kiddos supply this response when asked what they want to do when they grow up. Christy Harrington, Craig Wood, and Michael Roundy are certain they listed other occupations, and yet all three now work for Durango Fire & Rescue. They’ve made it their profession to run toward that which most of us run away from.
“I initially went to college for art,” says Harrington.
Wood remembers wanting to pursue any and every job possible so that every day could be different. When he moved to Durango from Florida, he worked as a river guide and on ski patrol.
Following in his father’s and brother’s footsteps, Roundy originally pursued the trades and construction.
Hoping to connect to the community more fully, both Wood and Roundy began as volunteer or reservist firefighters—meaning they subbed for full-time firefighters.
Harrington felt compelled to serve after witnessing a car strike a pedestrian. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” she says. And yet, she felt calm as she hurried to help the victim. “That was what made me recognize that perhaps I could be good at that role.”
Wood and Roundy also noticed they tended to experience a sense of calm or equanimity at times when others typically panicked. “I’ve just always been even-keeled,” Wood confesses, adding that even his mother would swear to this fact. Whether guiding people on rafting or snowmobile excursions, Roundy had a knack for calmly communicating instructions.
Regardless of being born cucumber-cool, the firefighting job itself seems designed to cultivate calm under pressure. First off, crewmembers train and run drills—a lot.
“The idea is that most of the hands-on skills become muscle memory—second nature—so you’re not thinking about those little things, like: How do I pull the hose off the truck?” Wood explains.
Not only are the small tasks deeply ingrained, but they are also minutely delegated. One crewmember will secure the patient’s airway while another tracks vital signs. Or one will hook the fire hose to the hydrant while another focuses on erecting ladders.
Roundy likens the task-sharing to a NASCAR pit crew. Wood notes that organization minimizes stress. One person isn’t responsible for everything—and therefore not overwhelmed. The crew shares the massive weight of stress inherent in any crisis.
But it’s usually after responding to an emergency that the crew’s real work of shouldering a shared burden begins. Wood attests that certain calls leave a mark on a first responder, but because he and his crew carry the weight of that mark together, it helps lighten the load. “It creates a bond. It’s kind of a second family,” he says.
Harrington concurs, adding, “The best calming or recovery therapy is coming back to the station where the crew is and being able to talk about everything together. That’s the most healing thing after an intense call.”
Indeed, all three firefighters agree that what fires them up most is the camaraderie in the fire station. It is crucial—or crew-cial.
Gratitude Is an Attitude
Amidst this season of gratitude, we wondered what were these firefighters grateful for?
Harrington: “Just to enter into chaos and provide stability brings me a lot of joy.”
Roundy: “It’s my privilege to get to help out.”
Wood: “To be able to show up…when it could be someone’s worst day and make a difference is pretty cool.”
Thanks, Durango Fire & Rescue. We’re grateful for you!