Think You Could Be a Firefighter? Not Me. Ever

So first, you put on these huge pants. The jacket makes you feel like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle -- encased in a stiff shell.

Then there are the boots, the hood, the heavy helmet that gives you a bobble-head feel. Then the 30-pound air tank strapped to your back and the plastic mask clamped tight on your face.

Claustrophobia starts to kick in.

And it's hot. Really hot. 

I can barely walk across the driveway of the house on Prospect Road that the Strongsville Fire Department burned for training Sunday. 

Then Lt. Harry Drennan leans a ladder against the side of the house and tells us to climb to the second story, where we'll topple through the window into a smoke-filled room.

Ha ha. Good one. He's kidding, right?

I can barely bend my knees and pick my size-too-big boots up to walk, and I'm supposed to climb a ladder?

But peer pressure forces me to try. It helps that there's a big, strong firefighter on the rung just below, making sure my air tank doesn't topple me backward, and that Firefighter John Douglas is just inside the window, literally dragging me through. 

Whew. Can I go home now?

Nope. First we drop to our hands and knees and learn how to navigate a dark, smoke-filled room by feeling our way along the walls, then crawl backwards down a flight of stairs lugging an incredibly heavy ax, then handle (with a lot of help) a fire hose that shoots 150 gallons of water a minute.

When the fire department learned it could use an old house on Prospect for training, Chief Jeff Branic extended an invitation to the local media and to Strongsville officials to get a taste of what a firefighter's job is like. 

The three local reporters -- me, Terry Brlas from the Strongsville Post and Cory Shaffer from the Sun Star Courier -- said yes instantly. 

Ward 2 Councilman Matt Schonhut also took the challenge.

Matt and Cory are in their early 20s and looked like pros. Terry and I are, uh, not in our 20s. We'll leave it at that.

TV doesn't show how dark it is inside a burning house. It's black. You can't see at all.

And unlike TV, firefighters don't run through burning buildings. They crawl. They have special ways of advancing so they can feel for victims along the way. 

Drennan, Douglas and the other firefighters were incredibly patient with us, and I didn't catch anyone rolling their eyes at us even once. Thanks, guys. I know you had plenty of chances. 

Capt. Ken Barrett was also great as he fitted us with our turnout gear last week.

The takeaway? Even though this one of the toughest jobs in the world, these guys love it and they're absolutely dedicated to saving your life and your home, even if it means risking their own safety.

And the next time there's a fire, I'll be more grateful than you can imagine that all I have to do is stand outside and take pictures.