For my practicum project I spent a great deal of time shadowing and questioning firefighters at one of the volunteer firehouses near my home. I spent time at the firehouse with them asking questions and learning how fire works, as well as how the weather affects fires especially during the winter when I was completing my project. I also went on calls with the firemen, gaining a more thorough understanding of the dynamics of fire in relation to the weather. I found this site through my older brother. He is a volunteer at that firehouse when he is home from college. Although he was in Arizona at school during the time I spent visiting the firehouse, he introduced me to friends who greatly helped my experience. The site supervisor is one of the volunteer firefighters at that particular station and is also a career firefighter for the county at a different station.

I performed a wide range of tasks at Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department. I spent lots of time researching my topic both online and by interviewing several firefighters who have great experience in the field. These firefighters provided me with a great background on how fire works. I also went on calls with the firefighters. However, unlike people who worked at hospitals or offices, I could not participate at all once at the scene. I was allowed to get out of the fire truck and take pictures from a great distance. The only involvement I had was to watch and then talk to the firefighters back at the firehouse about their opinions on the incident and their experiences.

I learned that fire and even fighting fires is completely a science. Fire is a naturally occurring part of nature, sometimes occurring by accident in houses and sometimes caused by natural phenomena to refresh lands. I learned about how fire reacts in different weather conditions, especially those found in Maryland during the winter. Fire can be spontaneous and incredibly dangerous.

The time I spent at the firehouse and on calls with the volunteers who risk their lives everyday to save ours has given me a whole new view of the world outside of science. I love science! It can be calculated and seen. But these firemen act upon principle and have outstanding moral fiber. They risk their lives everyday for people they do not even know. They rush into burning buildings when everyone else is rushing out. And they do not even get paid for these acts of bravery! The connection between science and society is so clear. In this situation, the firemen work hard to protect the people (society) from fires (science) and other accidents. Without these honorable men and women, society would be at a great loss and would not have the means to control and protect themselves from fires.

Although this particular experience has not lead me to change any of my undergraduate or graduate plans to become a broadcast meteorologist, it has provided me with a great learning experience. I chose this topic because I could relate it to my overall career interest, meteorology. This practicum project has not led me to want to change my future career plans, but it has given me a better understanding of some of the natural phenomena occurring in relation to the weather, such as the California Wildfires.

Overall, this was a great experience! I think it is important to choose a topic based on your interests in order to make it a fulfilling experience. I know I sure had a lot of fun!!!