CBS47's Brittney Hopper strapped on heavy firefighter gear to get a glimpse of what our firefighters face every day.
Firefighters wear over forty pounds of gear and they have to be ready at a moments notice. They're required to be on scene within 4 minutes from the time a 911 call comes in. Now add heat to the mix.
"Extremely hot and tiring,” said Chad Brisendine with Fresno Fire.
Fresno firefighter Chad Brisendine has been fighting fires for eight years. Every summer as the Central Valley heats up so does the challenge of battling fires. “With the heat we've had multiple members go down with heat illness injuries,” said Brisendine.
Firefighters go through two oxygen tanks before they're required to take a 20 minute break.
“We're very busy and we're very active and it's very hot so we just have to do our best first to look out for each other and then do our best to provide the best services that we can,” said Sean Johnson with Fresno Fire.
This past month Fresno Fire Department had 33 working structure fires. But no matter what the challenge is firefighters say they're up to the job, especially when the heat is on.
