On County Road 419 lies one of the two fire stations in the city of Oviedo, Florida: Station 48. With three big bay doors and a red roof, this is a safe space, and a meeting center for the first responders who save lives and property. They do more than just fight fires: they educate, give immediate medical attention, and emergency incident management. 

Lieutenant Matthew Rothfuss has been with the Oviedo Fire Department since 1996, and he became a lieutenant around twenty years ago. He has always known that he wanted to dedicate his life to public service, inspired by his grandfather, who was a firefighter working for the city of Philadelphia. 

“It was kind of a family thing in a way,” Rothfuss said. “I knew I was either going to go try and get into fire service or go towards the medical field.” 

Firefighter since 2004 and paramedic since 2005, Josh Wolf, who is a Oviedo High School (OHS) alumni, has always wanted to be a fireman. Wolf started his career right out of high school; he chose to work for OFD to stay close to home. 

“I always wanted to do it [become a firefighter] because my dad had some buddies that were firemen, and they all seemed to work a great job, talked about the schedule being good, and seemed like they all had happy families,” he said. “You talked to them and every one of them liked their job, it wasn’t like when you talked to somebody that was in construction, and how they were miserable.”

While fulfilling and extremely important, this career does not come easily. Firefighting goes hand in hand with countless long hours, intense physical durability, dangerous situations, and emotional strength.

“Sometimes you see death, and especially with younger people, it’s really hard, but it’s part of the job and you just have to try to keep going,” Eric Long, who has been a firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for six years, said. 

In the state of Florida, firefighters must also become EMTs. Why? Well, most calls the fire department receives are not related to fires. In fact, only four percent of reported fire department runs in the nation were fire-related in 2020, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. 

“It’s just good for us to be EMTs and paramedics too, because, you know, we’re here to help everybody,” Jeff Pirkola, who has been working as a firefighter/paramedic for twelve years, said. “I went to paramedic school, mainly because I wanted to learn more knowledge about what’s going on with people on the calls.”

Becoming a firefighter and an EMT sometimes involves two separate programs, but they can also be combined. This process can take anywhere from three and a half to ten months. For example, a choice close to home, Seminole State College (SSC) offers a combined program lasting 38 weeks. 

For firefighters or EMTs who want to continue their education and become paramedics, some may have to go through two years of an associate degree program, while others may take 12 to 18 months. SSC’s paramedic program takes a minimum of three semesters to complete. 

So how did these firefighters prepare for their careers during high school? 

Many played sports, and some join programs like Fire Explorers that teach skills like CPR, search-and-rescue and career exploration. 

“I think that kids, people that did play sports and things in high school end up adapting a lot easier into the way the firehouse works,” Wolf said. He was once a part of the baseball team at OHS. 

His coworker Long agrees, who played football for OHS his freshman year of high school. “I think my high school experience did prepare me for my career, because you become yourself in a way,” he said. “Obviously learning, you know, everything in your classes, but the main thing is with sports, learning how to do well with teamwork and communicating with people.” 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from their most recent statistics, firefighter employment is expected to grow about four percent from 2023 to 2033. Based on the same source, paramedics are expected to have a six percent employment growth rate from 2023 to 2033. The world will always need firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, which makes it an amazing career choice.

“It’s a really good time to become a firefighter,” Rothfuss said. “You couldn’t ask for a better time to do it, because the hiring rate in this state is so high and all over the country.”

Imagine spending full twenty-four hour days at your workplace. Sleeping in the same place as all of your coworkers. Well, for the firefighters, it’s no big deal. In fact, it’s enjoyable, it’s one of the best parts of the job. 

“[About what one gets out of being a firefighter,] there’s always the typical answer that you get to help people in their time of need, and while that’s definitely true, it’s also being here with who you work with, all these guys, all the time, every third day,” Pirkola said.

Lieutenant Rothfuss offered another take on the community and sort of familial energy of the department.

“Everybody’s so different, you’ve got all different types of people from all different walks of life, that’s what makes it fun,” Rothfuss said. 

The OFD mission statement is, “Serve with Honor, Serve with Respect, Serve with Excellence,” which is an accurate reflection of the efforts and contributions of the fire department of our city and beyond. 

Next time you see a firefighter on the street, thank them for their service. It may be them who saves you, or your grandmother, or your pet, or another loved one someday.