First Responder: Firefighter Paramedic Jerrod Barrett

Name: Jerrod Barrett

Age: 25

Hometown: Covington

Rank/Title: Firefighter 3/Paramedic (Centerville Fire Station, No. 6)

How long with the Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services?

"August will be seven years."

What inspired you to become a firefighter?

"Initially, when I was in high school, I had some friends of mine who were volunteers, and they kept asking me to volunteer: 'Why don't you come be volunteer? Come volunteer.' I had no interest in it at all. I had interests in going to college, playing soccer. I wanted to be a businessman: wear a suit, white shirt and tie, chill at work every day. But, then I went to a meeting. They talked me into going, and I got to participate in some of the things they had going on, and ever since then, I was hooked. So, my career path and life changed."

No other members of your family are firefighters, so what did they think about this career choice?

"My parents they were very supportive of it. They watched TV, and they see all the Hollywood movies of what can happen, and course, they were scared to death of it, but they supported me 100 percent."

What do you like about your job?

"I tell people all the time, the best part about my job is the service that I can provide to help somebody. You hear people all the time, 'I want to help somebody, I want to help somebody.' This job truly does that."

Special moments?

"One day I was able to delivery a baby, and two and half years later, they actually brought the child back to the fire station. I actually got to meet her. Things like that, it's just very rewarding, and I like that. I remember every child I have every delivered; I still remember. That's a great thing."

Most-memorable time fighting a fire?

"I think the most memorable time was whenever I fought my first apartment fire. I was scared to death, but luckily I had a great crew, had my captain, my driver, and my senior fire fighter. They guided me through it... You show up to a big building that is blazing, on fire. People are running out; you're running in. You're just doing your job, but it's  feeling that you can't describe to any civilian out there. In order to experience what I'm talking about, you got to be in my shoes. It's real hard to explain."

How do you balance your work as a firefighter with home and family time?

"I always tell my wife, that I'm probably one of the only people that has the luxury of being able to say that when I wake up in the morning, I'm ready to go to work. I want to come to work. I enjoy what I do. I got family and friends that they wake up, and they tell us all the time, 'Oh, God. Got to go to work.' I don't do that; I love coming to work. However, when I'm not here, it's family time...I have a daughter who has  cerebral palsy, and she's my pride, and she's my joy, so when I leave here, it's daddy time. I say to my wife and my daughter, not in a bad way, but I don't worry about this place when I'm gone. It's family time. But, when I'm here, they understand that I'm here to work, get things done."

What helps you through it all?

"My wife, she's the most wonderful person in the world; she helps me get through anything. She's very understanding of my job."

What advice do you have to others who may want to be firefighters?

"They need to have a good understanding of what we do, and they need to have the desire to want to do what we do. It's not as glamorous and glorious as them being a professional athlete, sort of speak. They play a ball game or whatever, and they make millions of dollars a year. We work 24 hours at a time... But, mainly to do this job you need to have the passion and the desire to want to do this job, to want to help people. That's our No. 1 goal is to help others."