FIREFIGHTER

By Shanna Hogan
Photo by Ross Martin

Outfitted in 65 pounds of gear and sprinting into a burning building on a sweltering summer afternoon—firefighters certainly have one of the Valley’s hottest jobs, and one of the most dangerous.

As a captain with the Scottsdale Fire Department, Dwayne Bader has been working in the Valley’s heat for the past 25 years. He has three words of advice for anyone who spends time outside in the summer: “Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.”

“We always recommend the basics—stay hydrated, stay in the shade when you can and just kind of know what you’re getting into when you go outside,” Bader says.

It is advice he gives out frequently during these hot months, as many of the season’s emergency calls are for people suffering from heatstroke or exhaustion. But even firefighters themselves, experienced with extreme heat, have to adjust their routine when the mercury rises.

“Even we change a lot,” Bader says. “During the summer we add an engine company to all our calls and they are strictly there for rehab. So if anything does happen to a firefighter we have a four-man engine company that is right there.”

But while his job may be hot, it’s also rewarding. Saving lives and putting out fires—Bader says he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.