By Steven Erbacher
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— There is no such thing as a dull day in firefighting. Each day is different, each day is unique. That is one reason why Captain Aubrey York of the Fayetteville Fire Department has stayed in this profession for 13 years now.
“I found this trying to find my way in life,” he said. “This has been a blessing for me.”
York was first introduced to the career by his father, a volunteer firefighter during York’s childhood.
“I used to go on ride-alongs with him,” he said. “That’s what made me put this on my radar.”
York went to college planning on going in a different career path. He went to a chiropractic school in Dallas before deciding it was not for him.
“It was an extremely tough decision,” he said. “I spent two years there. It was an expensive mistake, but I’m glad I made it. It made me realize it’s not for me.”
While at work one day, co-workers talked about how they were off-duty firefighters as well. This made him want to give it a try and he has not looked back since.
York gave a tour of the station on Center Road, which included where the firefighters hangout, eat and ultimately, sleep. Then he mentioned the training that was going on at the facility in the southeast part of Fayetteville.
It was rope rescue training, one of the many courses that firefighters go through during employment. The teacher of the course, was Kevin Sbanotto, driver and operator for the rescue truck. He says it’s important to be ready for any circumstance.
“It’s a very uncommon scenario, but whenever it does happen, it’s high risk so we have to on our best game for the victim,” Sbanotto said.
Sbanotto has been a firefighter for seven years, a driver, for three of those.
The rope rescue series focuses on being able to save people from extreme situations, in tough angles. To become certified in this, firefighters have to complete a 40-hour course. During training days, there’s eight hours allotted to the class. That’s eight hours from the 24 that a firefighter shift entails.
Firefighters do much more than wait around for calls for action. There’s a lot that goes into this career path. That’s one big reason why York and Sbanotto both are happy with this career.
“If you’re considering being a firefighter, you gotta go for it,” York said.