About a week ago, I had the amazing privilege of giving back by shooting a group of people who protect the rest of us. Lt. Shane Cook of the Monroe County Fire Department invited me down to shoot a “training exercise.” Basically that means taking a dilapidated house and burning it to the ground in a somewhat controlled way.  They’d already spent months gutting all the nasty chemical containing insulation and such, so basically it was a wooden shell. It was an awesome way to spend the weekend, and the firefighters were so grateful.

Here’s their leader. He was a really great guy, and I could tell everyone really respected him. I love how this picture captures the seriousness of what they do. After all, they literally are “playing with fire.”

I learned that different helmets signify the rank. Black = Firefighter, Yellow = Leuitenant, Red = Captain, White=Chief, and Pink=?!?!? (Breast Cancer Awareness)

It’s really amazing how many pieces there are to their turnout gear and just how fast they can get into it. These people are absolutely fearless.

They light shipping pallets on fire and use that to simulate furniture and such. They send a team in, put it almost out, then rotate the lead person to the back while the fire builds back up. As long as they contain the fire from getting through the ceiling (done by the “attic team”) they can rinse and repeat for quite a while. Here a team is waiting on the fire to build back up.

I love this photo. It almost reminds me of something of a warrior in a sci-fi movie. This was taken standing on the porch. The heat was so intense I was actually worried about damaging my camera. Anything to get the shot though, right?

After they had done all the training, they “let it go.” That’s firefighter speak for “house-sized-bonfire” and “spray water in the air so it doesn’t melt the power lines.” Fun times.

Here’s a shot my intrepid side-kick Sarah got while the house was going up in flames. I’m not quite sure of the meaning of the word “intrepid,” but it sounds cool, and I hadn’t used it yet today. That’s Shane and me there in the foreground. That’s right, I got to wear one of his cool yellow lieutenant helmets.

Here’s what it looks like when they get through “training.”

I doubt I’ll be picking up a hose anytime soon, but I totally get why they do it. Firefighters are some of the most fearless people in the world, and I have nothing but respect for the jobs they do. Thank you.