Firefighter, Emergency Technician and Paramedic
Eric Rasool has always wanted to be a firefighter since he was a small child growing up in Flint, MI. Whenever he saw a fire truck driving down his street he would wave to say hello. He was also fascinated by fire and wanted to help people.
Eric said, “My family members are my role models. That is who I grew up around, so I would always look to them to keep me on the right path. They were the ones who taught me the difference between right and wrong…some common sense also helped. I remember being told by my family to look at people around me or in my community, learn from their mistakes and accomplishments.”
As a firefighter for the Lansing Fire Department, he is trained in multiple areas. They are trained to be firefighters, emergency technicians or paramedics. There are also teams trained in hazardous materials or trench collapse situations. A portion of their daily schedule consists of fire and medical scenarios. They also deal with extrication; which is the process of safely freeing or removing a person trapped in a vehicle caused by a car accident. They use special tools that allow them to cut or pry open car doors. Once a person is safely removed from their vehicle, medical attention is immediately given.
Eric is trained as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician.
There is a perception that firefighters don’t do much work. Within a 24 hour period they are usually busy putting out fires, responding to medical calls, arriving at the scene of car accidents, working on fire and medical scenarios, and training so that they’re prepared for unique situations that may arise.
Eric said, “Within a moment’s time, we must stop everything that we’re doing to respond to a call. We make it a priority to get to the scene of a fire or medical call as soon as possible. Our response time is very important. We have a better chance to protect a citizen’s home or property based on our quick response. When responding to a medical call, a quick response time allows us to save a life or get them to the hospital to receive immediate medical attention.”
When Eric is not saving lives he enjoys spending time with family and friends. Since he spends a lot of time at the fire department he considers his co-workers as his second family, which is something he enjoys about his job.
Eric said, “A lot of men/women in the department would be willing to give the shirt off their back just to help another firefighter out.”
When he is not working he enjoys going to the movies, plays, playing basketball, tennis, football and baseball. Playing sports also allows him to stay active and keeps him in shape for his active job responsibilities. He also enjoys traveling and exploring different cultures.
Eric is single with no children.
About the woman of his dreams, he said, “She must be intelligent, self-driven and independent.”
