For years they have been at the start of the Breda Singelloop and you have probably seen them running by in their recognizable black and yellow overalls : fire department Midden- en West-Brabant. Last Wednesday, Richard Broeders – also known as fire department vlogger Richard – invited me to the barracks on the Tramsingel to tell me passionately about his profession and their participation during his 24-hour shift.
Richard is part of the turnout team and works from 08:00 to 08:00. Of course, as a firefighter, no day is the same, but the structure of a 24-hour shift is always recurring. In the morning, work such as maintaining the wagons is performed, each with his own specialty. Then there is a few hours of exercise, 2 hours of sports, and in the evening there is room for free time until they go to sleep. Meanwhile, they have to be аlways sharp, because after a report they have to be ready within 1 minute 30, no matter what they are doing at the time. These reports – an average of five per shift – are very diverse. “You end up with all kinds of things and as a firefighter you experience an awful lot of special, sad but also funny things.” Everything that the police or ambulance can’t do (because they don’t have the tools for it, for example) and for which defense is not used, is taken up by the fire department. “We are very approachable. If you press a button now there are 40 cars with 200 men ready if needed, that’s our strength.”
The biggest prejudice? “That people think we sit here all day playing cards and putting out a few fires in between, that we solve everything with red hoses.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Together with his fellow vlogger, Richard shows through their Youtube channel and his own Instagram page, among other reasons, what the work of the fire department entails.
“Conditioning is everything. If you have to run up 3 floors and then resuscitate someone, there is no time to rest.” The sports instructors make sure it is and stays up to par and that ailments are taken care of. “They signed us up for the Breda Singelloop and that’s basically how it started. Our basic condition has to be good enough to be able to run 10 km under an hour.” By now, not only the relief team is running, but the entire safety region can register. The counter currently stands at no less than 111 and those who participate know that there is always a party at their duty station along the course.
Be sure to follow Richard for more inspiring stories. Will you also encourage him and his colleagues on the first Sunday of October?
Written by Ancilla Antens, member communications committee Bredase Singelloop