With three major fires since December, the life of a firefighter in the Bermuda Fire Service has never been so challenging.

Senior firefighters took time out to speak to for a glimpse into how they prepare themselves to run towards burning buildings when everyone else is running away from them.

Head of the Fire Service?s Training Division, Lt. Lloyd Burchall, a 22-year veteran of the Service, said four operational crews of around 20 firefighters are on duty 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

?We have a day shift that works from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and a night shift from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.,? he said.

It takes seven weeks of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training and14 weeks of fire training to become a firefighter, he said, and every recruit in the last two years has been sent overseas to do additional ?hot-fire? and ?marine-type? fire fighting.

However, despite the intense training Lt. Burchall said it does not eliminate the fear of facing your first fire.

?For my first big fire, there was excitement, fear and a rush of adrenaline,? he said. ?You are awe-struck with this thing happening right in front of you. There is a moment of being just stunned.?

He was not surprised by the large number of major fires in Bermuda since December.

?In my years of service I wouldn?t say there is any particular trend,? he said. ?There is a time where you get a large number of fires and other times when there are none. I tend to believe it comes and goes.?

Their comrades and equipment are often the only things protecting them, he said.

Firefighters wear 27-pound self-contained breathing apparatus which gives them 30 minutes of air through a positive pressure mask which prevents smoke leaking into their faces. A helmet protects them from falling debris and a very heavy ?bumper jacket? pants and boots can withstand temperatures of around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

?Just be aware it will burn,? Lt. Burchall said. ?I don?t think they made anything that?s fireproof that you can wear but it provides some protection.?

The outside of the suit is made of heat-resistant material. The suit also has the ability to prevent dehydration since firefighters would collapse from the intense heat and perspiration.

Physical fitness plays a lot in stopping the firefighters from becoming too fatigued, he said, and there is a gym downstairs at the Hamilton Fire Station.

?It can be very draining. You are dealing with the effects of heat on your body. You are at what I would call maximum activity and are carrying an additional 60 pounds around,? Lt. Burchall said.

Head Divisional Officer Anthony Caisey said: ?One of the key factors is an individual?s emotional state at the time, because that can create a great deal of fatigue as well. The more intense the training the better it is in the long run. You have to step out what you think is your max so when you do come up against this, it is a piece of cake.?

But the summer humidity really takes it toll, D.O. Caisey said.

?When you get out of your fire kit you are soaked to the bone,? he said. ?This is not a job, this is a career. If you join the Fire Service you join to serve. And if you can?t accept that philosophy you best not be here in all honesty.? But D.O. Caisey said it can be difficult when people lose their home.

?It affects you quite a bit because you see people who are emotionally distraught, they lost nearly everything that they had and they want to know where they are going to go next,? he said. ?Some of them have relatives and neighbours but you can still see it is like they are starting all over again. And this is where we have to be very considerate. This may be routine for us but we have to make sure we don?t see their circumstances as routine.?

He said they need to be pragmatic and get the job done, but still be sympathetic and empathise with them.

?At the end of the day any skills we allow to go by the way can?t be called on and we can?t fault anyone if they haven?t got those skills,? he said.

?This is not a 8 to 5 job. We are on call every day. We can be called at 3 a.m. and be expected to get up and deal with this thing.?

A 25-year veteran, D.O. Caisey said he is in charge of 80 personnel in three stations, including the vehicles and equipment.

The Bermuda Fire Service has a total staff of 115, he said, including office employees.

There are around 98 operational firefighters on the Island, including all of the officers who are still required to train as firefighters.

At the Belco fire, the officers were part of the 75-strong crew who battled the ferocious flames.

And firefighters are normally the first to respond to give first aid to those injured in road traffic collisions.

?We accept that people who are in need of any type of assistance, the quicker we get there the more effective we are going to be,? D.O. Caisey said.

?Particularly in the eastern and western parishes we will be there sometimes ten to 12 minutes prior to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.