By Elizabeth Hung
Staff Writer
PHOTO COURTESY/ Stephen Rosebrook
The crisp morning air refreshed Class of 2013 alumnus Stephen Rosebrook as he loaded the final few feet of hose onto the bright red fire truck. Just before the sun peeked through the clouds, he took one final lap around the truck, checking the hose pump’s pressure, his air pack and his radio before he climbed aboard the drivers’ seat.
“I like helping people out a lot and getting to solve their problems no matter how big or small,” Rosebrook said. “The citizens of my city trust me to solve their problems on potentially the worst day of their lives, so I don’t want to fail them. I have to train so that when I’m on a run, I don’t have to think about how to conduct a search or pull a hose. Instead, I can devote my brain to thinking of new solutions.”
During his time at TCHS, Rosebrook participated in multiple extracurriculars that helped prepare him for firefighting. The performance aspect of Brighter Side Singers allowed him to be more familiar with performing under pressure, and being a staff writer for Rampage taught him effective communication, which is useful when writing reports after a medical run or receiving updates from the outgoing shift. Football taught Rosebrook the importance of teamwork, and his daily responsibilities often mirror his football experiences.
“Firefighting is very similar to playing a sport,” Rosebrook said. “The fire department is a sports team and our sport is putting out fires and responding to emergencies. You don’t want to let your team down; everyone’s depending on you and everyone depends on each other. Football taught me effective communication and the importance of doing things for the benefit of my team.”
After graduation in 2013, Rosebrook attended Pasadena City College and intended to transfer to a four-year university. However, he realized that he was looking for a more action-packed career that still involved his aptitude for critical thinking. He spent the next year training prior to his current job in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
While each shift varies from day to day, Rosebrook’s job as an Advanced EMT entails responding to fires, medical emergencies, accidents and 911 calls. He also shadows higher-ranked firefighters in preparation for his promotion to Engineer next month. Rosebrook is in his eighth year of his career and fourth year of active duty.
“Some people would say ‘you couldn’t pay me enough to jump into a fire’ but we would do it for free,” Rosebrook said. “It’s great that we get paid to do something we love and are trained for. The fire station is my home; I work really well with the other people in my department, and I’m not ashamed to call them my second family.”