I had just been hired as a recruit  for a local fire department and was still working full time as an EMT for a local casino.  I was just climbing into bed after a 12 hour shift at work when the tone went out for a vehicle accident about five miles from my house.  This was my first official call since being hired just the day before.  Excited and nervous I said good-bye to my wife and grabbed my gear heading out the door.  Only a few short minutes later I arrived directly after the first engine on scene and reported in to my Captain.  Sizing up the scene I took notice that it was a single vehicle accident and flames had not only completely engulfed the truck but they had began to spread into the wooded area surrounding the site.  A couple of my fellow firefighters and I charged the booster line and suppressed the wildland flames.  The flames had been conquered and it was then painfully obvious what I had feared all along in that there was nothing that could be done for the driver.

I cannot explain the feelings I felt or the sight of his burnt body or the smell of his flesh.  I will never forget my next job on this scene.  My Captain ordered me to hold a flashlight for the police officers as they assessed the body and  attempted to identify the driver.  The horrors of my anatomical findings were unimaginable.  We were on a two lane highway and traffic had been stopped for some time at this point so the decision was made to move the body while still in the car to a local storage yard to perform the extrication efforts.  After arriving,  it took me and four other firefighters four hours to remove the badly entangled body from the single cab pickup truck.  

After getting home and showering as well as catching up on my sleep I received a call from my father-in-law (a Captain in the fire service) and he only asked one question...."Are you still sure you want to be a firefighter?"  My answer had no pause......."Now more than ever!"  After seeing and feeling what it was like to become a part of a team that faced the unthinkable I could only pray that the next scene did not leave me feeling so helpless.