eighteen years old, Phil works as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown. Only last week he was able to put his training to practice in a real fire call. Lamentably, due to the bitter cold his first experience in a real fire was not easy. The actual fire took place in a farmhouse in the town of Ware. The fire lasted four hours. A potential danger existed because the electrical wires came down and a propane gas tank could have exploded anytime. Phil, used to the danger, feared nothing but that did not make the job easier. Battling fire in sub-zero temperatures brought new problems. As Phil observed, "everything went wrong and the water freezes . . . the floor became a sheet of slippery ice, wet and tired I was glad the fire was over." Phil knows that this career could be life threatening or lead you into a depression but he told me that psychological services are available in case any firefighter needed them. Phil will have to present a test in order to become a formal firefighter. The exam includes a test of his abilities, his knowledge of CPR and his capabilities at first response. Phil does not worry about the test. He says that the test helps minorities or family members of present firefighters become members. Because of his family's involvement in fire fighting Phil believes that he has a sure spot on the Ware Fire Department.In the same way that his family's career choices influenced Phil's life, we should ask ourselves what type of influences did we receive from our own close relatives? Did their career choices have an impact on our own decisions? We must also ask if we serve as an example to others in our choice of careers. If someone has a passion in life, like Phil Gervais, they can serve as a positive role model for the rest of us. Perhaps Phil Gervais' passion for fire fighting proves that so called "Generation X" is not as lost as people say. ...
