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A day in the life of a firefighter

Joe Lamb has always wanted to be a fire fighter. The 33-year-old finally got his chance Tuesday morning.

“We’re trying to make a childhood wish or dream of Joe’s come true so we’re going to work with the fire department today and help him out with that,” said volunteer fire fighter Kenric Weinschenk.

“I’m the manager of the Friends Forever Social Education Center. We’re a day-hibilitation center for mentally disabled adults. We have adults with mental illness and intellectual disabilities as well. Out there, we work on different goals that the members have. At times we try to make peoples’ dreams come true. That’s what we are doing today.”

“I’m excited about being a fire fighter for the day,” Lamb said. “I always get to see them in the Fourth of July and Hamilton County Fair parades. I like when the fire fighters fight fires.”

Before Lamb began assisting Webster City Fire Chief John Conyn and volunteer fire fighters Weinschenk and Jared Ruby, he was given a special t-shirt and put on official fire fighting gear.

Once outfitted, Lamb helped members of the department with multiple activities.

He helped wash down one of the fire trucks after a spin around the fire station. This included helping with the hoses and wiping down the truck.

Conyn and Weinschenk helped Lamb assemble a check list of what needed to be checked during a fire inspection. Lamb used that list at Friends Forever Social Education Center to make sure that smoke detectors were working, fire extinguishers were accessible, and that fire exits were clearly marked. Weinschenk and Conyn showed Lamb how to check outside the building for sprinkler access and proper places to put ladders outside of the building.

After a satisfactory inspection, a beaming Lamb returned to the fire station.

“I’ve wanted to be a fire fighter my whole life and to share this is fantastic,” Conyn said, “It’s such an honor to give back. It’s everything to be able to do this.”

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