|
|
 |
 |
Deciding to tie the knot is a life-altering experience. Over the next few months, the Lifestyle section will take a look at how careers can come into play and ask the question, 'Should you marry...?' This month we look at firefighters. Coming next month: Police officers.
It's easy to love a fireman. They're big burly men with handle-bar mustaches who wear red suspenders and save cats from trees. They carry axes and never give out parking tickets. And when your house is on fire, they show up to save your life. Free of charge.
Anyone who knows a fireman knows a little bit about brotherhood and camaraderie. It's common knowledge that the men on those engines and trucks not only save lives, they improve them. And anyone who loves a fireman (you know, in the till-death-do-us-part kind of way) doesn't only love them because they look handsome in a turnout coat.
"I'm very proud to be married to a fireman," noted Rebecca Gibson, an Annadale resident whose husband, Robert, is stationed at Ladder 114 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. "Rob has strong values, is caring and very loyal. He loves what he does and the people he works with."
Mrs. Gibson, who has been married to Robert for about a year-and-a-half, said that instead of focusing on the danger of her husband's job, she views his livelihood and the men he works with as an extension of her family.
"They depend on each other and because of this they've developed close bonds."
When you're married to someone in a dangerous profession, Mrs. Gibson explained, it's easy to dwell on the fact that "today might be the day when he doesn't come home."
"But it's because of this that we never let a day go by without telling each other how much we love one another," she said.
Did Mrs. Gibson marry her knight-in-shining-bunker-gear because he was a fireman? Not exactly. But if you pose the question of "Should you marry a fireman?" to the somewhat newlywed, her answer is a resounding yes.
"He became an excellent cook while being on the job and he's brought home this great sense of humor," she said, naming all of the firehouse pranks that her husband practices at home. She said the firefighter lifestyle has brought out the best in her husband and brought all kinds of laughter into their lives. "He's constantly playing practical jokes."
Granted, Mrs. Gibson doesn't get bucketed when she comes out of the bathroom (classic firehouse antics). But she usually gets soaked when she turns on the kitchen sink.
"He ties a rubber band around the sprayer so I always get sprayed when I do the dishes," she laughed. "You'd think after a year-and-a-half I would know it's coming."
BROTHERHOOD
Ask any firefighter's wife about the benefits of their husband's job and you'll probably get similar answers. The women who love these everyday heroes understand that on the rig, brotherhood is not just a metaphor. And despite popular opinion, they do know how much their husbands love the job.
"I know they don't eat hot dogs for dinner," noted Lillian Fiorella, responding to an old firehouse legend that speaks of what the men are supposed to tell their wives they prepared for the meal. "They're always cooking up something good and they're always happy to go to work.
The Prince's Bay resident, whose husband Victor is also stationed at Ladder 114, said there are downsides to being married to someone working in such a dangerous profession, but for the most part, the good overshadows the bad. She's been married to her firefighter husband for 13 years and although there were some adjustments, she said they were only for the better.
"I'm used to it now," noted Mrs. Fiorella. "Of course you always worry while they're at work, but you learn to enjoy the little things -- like having the whole bed to myself and that little bit of peace and quiet after I put the kids to bed."
It's the same story for countless wives in this borough, which reportedly is home to a large percentage of the city's Bravest. While their husbands are out working 24-hour tours -- saving lives and enjoying the firehouse camaraderie that goes along with the dangers of the job -- life goes on.
"The biggest adjustment for me was the idea that Victor had to work nights," Mrs. Fiorella continued. "When you're used to a 9-to-5 schedule yourself, it's difficult to adjust to what can be some crazy hours. At first, it seemed like he had so much time off, but it was only because our hours were so opposite."
Fiorella, who has served in the department for 19 years, had been a firefighter for six years when he and his wife were married.
"I knew what his schedule was like, but you really see it up close and personal once you get married," she said.
Mrs. Fiorella really appreciates her husband's extra time off now that her children are growing up.
"The kid's lives are so busy," she said, citing at least three daily sets of practices that keep family life interesting. "There's softball, soccer, gymnastics -- you name it. But that's one of the best things about being married to a firefighter. Victor is there for it all."
Her husband is able to schedule in all of the "important stuff," Mrs. Fiorella continued.
"He coaches my son's team and makes it there for everything our three kids do," she said. "I know his hours are crazy but it means a lot that he can be there for all of that."
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
