At some point, all of us walked into the fire station for
the first time as a firefighter. For most, this was a nerve-filled, highly anticipated moment
when they finally saw some pretty big dreams come true. From that first moment we stepped
through the door, we all had to gauge what it was going to take to impress the
others, and find out what our role was going to be. The vast majority of
firefighters would tell you that they did whatever it took to break through to
the other side; the land of being full-fledged, one-of-the-guys. This meant showing
up an hour before they had to, scrubbing the station on hands and knees, devouring food in seconds like a starved animal so that no one else
could get to the dishes first, being the first to volunteer (even after hours of
grueling hands-on training); literally, whatever it took. That is the "rookie mentality!"
For most of us, it was only a matter of minutes before we
were known to the crew simply as “Rookie.” While both endearing and
derogatory all at the same time, it truly is a badge of honor for each one of
us. It means we were accepted into the greatest profession on the planet. 