July 28--Bernie Gonzalez knew she wanted to be a firefighter the moment she got her hands on a fire hose at age 6.
"I was just shocked I actually got to spray it," Gonzalez said with a smile, remembering how the thrill of that school field day inspired a lifelong dream.
The 23-year-old is the Midland Fire Department's newest addition and second female firefighter in its history. It's a reality that didn't hit her -- even after a year of studying at the academy -- until she started the A shift this month at the city's Central Fire Station.
Living the dream
Gonzalez -- whose border patrol father kept the family moving from Arizona to California and South Carolina -- originally came to the area to play softball for Midland College. She heard that an associates or bachelor's degree earned more points in the firefighter hiring process, so she dedicated herself to school and sport.
But math, history and other subjects never kept Gonzalez's focus. That changed when she joined the fire academy.
"I had straight As because it was really something I was interested in, and it was really fun to learn," Gonzalez said. " I never really loved school, but once I started the academy, I loved it."
Gonzalez is still studying to be a paramedic -- a MFD requirement -- and said her fire education will probably never end.
"My instructors told me, 'You start school now, and you're never going to finish.' There are tons of classes you can take. I didn't know there was so much to learn," she said.
Gonzalez's ambition is what stood out to Manuel Heredia, an EMS training captain for the department.
"She's really eager to learn," Heredia said. "She's very mature for her age in how she carries herself and her work ethic."
The training captain is tasked with preparing a new generation of firefighters for emergency medical services, which he said make up 80 percent of the calls in Midland. But Heredia doesn't see that being an issue with Gonzalez or any other young firefighter.
"The new generation -- the millineals -- have a different way of thinking," he said. "They are very civic-minded. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves."
Stephen Forbes, MFD training chief, sees a lot of similarities between her and the department's first female firefighter, Tanya Martin. He also was impressed by Gonzalez on the drill field.
Gonzalez said she was in shape after a lifetime of playing baseball and softball but had to work on her upper body strength after joining the academy to keep up with the guys.
"We have lower body strength, and they have upper body strength," she said.
Still, Gonzalez's ability to push herself and improve her weaknesses stood out to her instructors.
"Physically, she's as fit -- maybe even more so -- than most of us," Heredia said.
When Gonzalez joined the department, she said the last thing she wanted was to be treated differently because she's a woman.
"I told them from the beginning I don't want special treatment," she said.
First fire
Gonzalez works 24-hour shifts three days a week. When she's not out on a call, she spends her time studying at the station and waiting for the alarm to sound, which finally went off several weeks ago when a Ford 150 went up in flames on Farm-to-Market Road 1788.
"We pulled out, and I wasn't expecting a fire because it took us forever to get out there," she said. "It was fully in flames; I got to put it out. It was fun, but it took longer than I thought."
Gonzalez said she accepts the risks of firefighting, even if it scares her mother, Norma. But the idea of dealing with fatalities does concern her.
"I didn't know how I was going to handle it -- not being able to save everybody," she said.
But she finds strength in the support of her family, which includes her father, Ed, and her brother, Eddie -- who's in the Air Force. And even though she's used to moving around a lot, Gonzalez anticipates being a firefighter for a long time -- perhaps even in Midland.
"Every single day you come to work, there's something different going on," she said. "I love everything about it so far."
Copyright 2013 - Midland Reporter-Telegram, Texas
