A desire to make a difference led Emre Altiparmak down the path of becoming one of CFA’s newest career firefighters.
Emre is one of 30 recruits to graduate this week and he has joined the Springvale Fire Brigade.
Previously an electrician, Emre already notices differences in his new profession, particularly when it comes to motivation and variety.
“Being an electrician, the motivation throughout the industry is all about money and profit, whereas I became a firefighter because I wanted to make a difference in the community,” he said.
“I personally find that sort of motivation more rewarding.
“It’s also really easy to plan ahead as an electrician and work can be repetitive, but no two jobs are the same working at CFA. You need to be adaptable and equipped to work in all sorts of environments and situations.”
Emre was particularly interested in learning new skills relating to Emergency Medical Response (EMR), which will be rolled out to all 35 of CFA’s integrated brigades over the coming months.
“I am really looking forward to gaining EMR experience and Springvale is one of the busiest brigades assisting ambulance paramedics with this capability,” he said.
“I was a bit surprised to learn this would be part of becoming a firefighter but the more I learn, the more I can see the value.
“If a firefighter can get to and EMR incident even seconds before a paramedic, it can be the difference between life and death.
“During training, I’ve heard some great success stories about working to assist paramedics to save lives. Every second really does count.”
Emre lives in Boronia and spends a lot of time in Melbourne’s CBD so he isn’t familiar with the Springvale community.
“I know it’s a multicultural community, which I expect will mean I’ll meet some really interesting people, while also managing possible challenges on the job including language and cultural barriers,” he said.
“While I won’t have to move house to start work, I am looking forward to learning about a totally new community, using my role as a firefighter to not only help people in their time of need but to educate the community about fire prevention.”
For more information about Firefighter Recruit Course 3, click here.
Also read about Emre’s fellow graduate Daniel Pearce.
Author: CFA Media