My brother's dream come true

What was your dream when you were little? Do you want to be a doctor, pilot or firefighter? Some people have their dreams come true and some don't. Like my oldest brother, he wanted to be a firefighter. But that dream was not realized when he graduated from high school because he immediately got a job at a mall.

In 2016, my oldest brother tried to learn to be a volunteer firefighter. He invited my brother number 3 to join in the study as well as volunteer. Mid 2017, my oldest brother plans to create a community of volunteers, initially with 10 members. But at the time of the inauguration, there were only 6 official members and 1 reserve, it's me.

"Why are you a reserve member and not a regular member?"

At that time I had just been accepted to work in a restaurant whose working hours were from noon to night. And of course I can't become a permanent member because I can't leave my job. And I can get moving if I'm at the post and haven't been busy up until this point.

"Did the government provide firefighting equipment when setting up this volunteer community?"

No. The community formed by my brother is an independent community. So my brother bought the equipment himself with the money collected. But, at the end of 2019, my sister submitted proposals in 2 places, namely at her workplace and at her old workplace. And it only took 2 weeks for both proposals to be approved and they received assistance in the form of safety helmets, boots, fire suits, hoses and water pump machines.

Even though the city government did not provide assistance, the village government, who was aware of the volunteer community, immediately provided additional assistance in the form of 4 large fire hoses and fire extinguishers.

"Is the activity of volunteer firefighters the same duties as other firefighters?"

Of course it's the same. Extinguishing fires, rescuing victims of natural disasters, rescuing wild animals and more. However, some community volunteer firefighters have limited tools. For example, like an emergency ladder or water tanker truck. But the lack of tools does not discourage us from carrying out this humanitarian mission that has been carried out for many years. Because we focus on our motto, which is "Pantang pulang sebelum padam" or in English "never go home before the fire goes out".

So, that is my brother's goal, which is to have a community of volunteer firefighters. The journey experienced in forming this community certainly has ups and downs that many of us have gone through. But that doesn't stop us from continuing to help people in need.

* Lead image from pixabay.com

* All illustration image from own capture