{"id":1903,"date":"2019-08-27T03:45:04","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T03:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/?page_id=1903"},"modified":"2024-03-08T23:52:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-09T05:52:02","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/firefighternow.com\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Welcome to FireFighterNow! I’m Josiah Raiford, and this site is where I share helpful parts of my journey on becoming a firefighter. I took over this site from Mike Pertz, the former owner, because I care a lot<\/strong> about helping firefighters. I’ll tell you why.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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After wrapping up my college degree, I quickly realized I wasn\u2019t cut out for a 9-5 office job. Deep down I just felt like there was something more<\/strong><\/em> (maybe you feel the same way, and that\u2019s why you\u2019re here).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I began looking into firefighting and made it my goal to break into a firefighting career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first got started at the NWA Metro Chiefs Academy, I couldn\u2019t handle it. Putting on the gear and trying to handle it made me claustrophobic. Each time I was on the verge of a mental breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I wasn\u2019t about to give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I knew, as a firefighter, these are the types of situations you have to push through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I bought some gear online and started practicing: on my own and at the station. During that time, I was getting more and more comfortable, so I joined a nearby volunteer department for 2 years until I felt confident enough to give it another shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, though, I was prepared. I made it through the Academy, eventually getting hired at the local department I wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now I\u2019m a professional firefighter and have a number of certifications (one I\u2019m still working on):<\/p>\n\n\n\n