Alexandre Couture: Becoming a Firefighter

Here, read the transcript of the interview with Alexandre Couture, firefighter in the Saint-Eustache Fire Safety Department.

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I’d say it was when I was around 17 that I got really interested in firefighting. It was through friends who were studying or already working in the field  who introduced me in their way to what firefighting is all about. And you know, since I was very motivated, I found out as much as I could. I went to visit a lot of fire halls. And I realized that there’s so much more to firefighting than just putting out fires or responding to accidents like you see on TV. A huge part of it is the camaraderie, the team spirit. Helping others. Being there for citizens at all times. And having a positive impact on people’s lives every day – that was what really attracted me to this career. And there was a kind of parallel too: I had always played hockey throughout my childhood, so teamwork and meeting challenges as part of a group have always been part of me indirectly, if that makes sense. And I was able to find those things again in firefighting. It’s something I’m so happy and so proud to be able to do every day. So that’s what really motivated me to work as a firefighter.