MOST EVERYONE takes comfort in knowing that when they need help, someone is there to answer the call. But who is that someone? In Fayetteville, it’s quite possible that the person answering your call will be Lieutenant Daniel Underwood of the Fayetteville City Fire Department.
Underwood began his career as a firefighter over three years ago. At a young age, he was drawn to public service as he watched his father serve his community in Madison County, Alabama. Underwood shared, “As a sheriff’s deputy, my dad was a public servant. I watched him do his job and interact with the public, day in and day out, and that was very inspiring to me. I just wanted to be a part of that.”
For Underwood, being a first responder has been a very fulfilling experience. One of the reasons he considers being a firefighter a privilege, is being able to participate in or host different community events. He shared, “We [the fire department] do a toy drive every year. It warms my heart to see the families come through the line. Their faces light up. We’ve seen many parents with tears in their eyes, because they’re so grateful to know their kids will have something for Christmas. To me, that’s very rewarding.”
Events that place Underwood and his co-workers within the community are some of the sweetest aspects of the job. He enjoys the opportunities like going to schools for demonstrations or hosing kids off on a hot day, with the fire hose. He said, “It’s rewarding to be able to make someone’s day, even in a simple way. It’s nice just being a presence in the community and providing comfort to someone that needs it.”
As one might assume, however, being a first responder of any kind comes with its fair share of difficulties. At any moment, a first responder could get a signal telling them it’s time to drop everything they’re doing and go. For firefighters, their signals come in the form of tones dropping. Underwood shared, “You never know what you’re getting called to or what you’re going into each time the tones drop at the station. You don’t know whether you’re going into a structure fire or if you’re going into a bad call where someone is hurt. Your mind starts racing.”
“Immediately, you start sizing up the situation and go through a mental checklist like: What will the situation entail? What am I going to need when I get there? If it’s a home, what kind of house is it? Where is it located? There is a rush of adrenaline.”
Firemen and women are trained and ready to handle both intense and dangerous situations. Yet despite their formal training and implementation of safety protocols, there is still an undeniable element of danger looming in their typical work day. Underwood said, “Being in a house fire is so different. You go in, and in the back of your mind you’re always thinking, “You know, there’s a chance that I might not come out of this once I go into it.” And that’s something you must understand when you start this job. You take a risk every single day. Underwood continued, “Mentally, you have to prepare yourself before going into something. And it’s not as scary because of the training that we go through.”
One of the hardest calls Underwood has ever had to respond to happened a few months after his son, Beckham, was born. He shared, “Without going into much detail, I went on a call whenever my son was about four months in order to outlast the burdens associated with the job. Underwood reconciles the unsettling emotions by looking for the bigger picture. He shared, “There have been many hard calls. Everything you see here is not all good. But you have to tell yourself that God has a plan, He does things for a reason, and that he’s called you to be in that position to deal with that situation at that time. That’s how I deal with the rougher calls. You just have to tell yourself that it’s all in God’s hands, and He’s called you to do the job.” GN
