Lt. David BridgesWhere are you stationed?
I’m a rover on the ‘B’ shift.

What was your previous position/station assignment?
I was at Station 1 (W. Dayton Street) as a Chief’s Aide on the ‘B’ shift.

How long have you been with the MFD?
21 years

As a rover, you’re not assigned to a specific station or territory. Is that challenging? What do you like about roving?
The challenging part of being a rover is getting to know new crews because I was in the Officer In Charge's office as a Chief’s Aide for four years. The thing I do like about it is I’m able to travel around the city to different spots every day, and I like helping the community that way. I grew up here, and it’s nice to work in different parts of the town that you grew up in.

What's the most unique call you've been involved with or in charge of since becoming a lieutenant?
We had a storm a few weeks ago where the roof blew off a building out by the airport. I was at Station 8 that day. Searching that whole scene, making sure nobody was hurt, that was pretty unique. It was challenging because we had to search the debris pile, we had to evacuate the area, then we had to track down residents and gather people’s information for the Red Cross.

Being a firefighter, you’re kind of a jack of all trades, so there are so many different things you have to figure out on your own. Anybody can read a book, but once you get out here in person and do it, that’s the thing that you really learn from.

What's different about the way you approach your job now that you're a lieutenant?
I’ve always approached my job the same way, ever since the beginning: Expect to take care of your community—the people in our community—and any issues that come up. Expect to problem solve, because that’s what we do.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m very passionate about working for the city. I grew up here, my parents worked for the city and the county. I feel very blessed to be in this position, and I’d like to thank all the community leaders that helped inspire me to be where I am today.

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