Navigating chaos
BY JILL DENNING GACKLE and ALYSSA MEIER
BHG News
Standing on a highway with traffic careening by is challenging, according to Janis Sloka, Garrison fireman.
“Your adrenaline is pumping because an accident has taken place, you know it's your responsibility to focus on traffic control,” he said. He said it's aggravating when vehicles don't slow or don't slow enough for the conditions.
He is concerned about drivers whose minds are elsewhere, talking on the phone, not paying attention, daydreaming and they “don't see us. It's scary at times.”
But despite an accident within the force a few years ago where two firemen were seriously injured and an occasional close call since, Sloka said the firemen are trained to do their jobs without fear.
“I'm not afraid for myself because that's what we do,” he said. “You can't be (an) anxious person or you can't be a first responder. It's not a better breed, it's just a special breed. You just do it.”
