Chicago Firefighter

 Yesterday we met a Chicago firefighter named Lieutenant John Gricus. LT. Gricus has been a firefighter for 15 years. He has a great job and we are going to tell you why.

Firefighters are here for us to put out fires and smoke and make sure people are safe.  It’s a lot harder than it looks to go into a burning building because you have to wear a huge jacket, a 30 pound air tank, air mask, carry an ax, and much more. You also have to use many tools like hoses and ladders.

LT. Gricus says that the best part of the job is “the awards you get from saving people.” And he also likes to help the new firefighters. But there are always downsides to the job. He said that the worst part of the job is not seeing his family a lot.  He works 24 hours at a time and then has 48 hours off, so sometimes that means working on the weekends and on holidays.

LT. Gricus’s tasks are teaching new firefighters how to put out fires. He has to get to the fire department early to prepare properly. He also has to get people in and out of burning buildings safety and put out any fires.

Lieutenant Gricus told us about his amazing job and responsibilities. Maybe we will want to be firefighters when we grow up!

Written by:  Ethan A. Ethan P., John, Omar, and Sean