Matt Robinson has been a crucial part of the Revelstoke Fire Department for sixteen years. 

Robinson began his career with the service in 2008 as a volunteer and forest firefighter, and in 2013, he became a career firefighter. For Robinson, a typical day as a firefighter is a 24-hour endeavour. Robinson explained that firefighters work on 24-hour shifts.

"We start at 8 in the morning and go until 8 the next morning," said Robinson.

Before heading home, the firefighters on shift will perform what Robinson explained is a 'crossover' where they discuss "anything that we need to know is coming up for the day." The crossover also involves equipment inspection. 

Robinson also explained that this week is going to be busy as they will have students visiting to learn about what the department does and fire prevention. The students will be given a tour of the station, watch videos, and talk about fire hazards in the house, smoke detectors, and what to do if they ever need to escape a fire. Robinson said that some children even show up wearing their firefighter Halloween costumes.

Besides the satisfaction of helping others, Robinson said that he likes the unpredictability of the career.

"Never in my career have I had two days out the door the same. I like coming through the door not knowing what's going to happen," said Robinson.

As for the challenging aspects of the career, Robinson said that some of the things that you see can be disturbing and when you know the community members, it makes it harder. Another challenging aspect of the career is being on call as it affects not only his sleep but also his family's. 

"We're leaving in the middle of the night and waking our families up, and you lose any sort of sleep pattern you had," said Robinson.

Overall, he said that it's a great career in many ways.

"When you have a good call and you're able to help someone, that's why everybody gets into firefighting."

Robinson has also enjoyed giving back to the community and said that this is something important to the department.

"They really try hard to give back to the community like through educating the kids and events like cops versus firefighters hockey games," he said. 

As for anyone who might be interested in pursuing a career in firefighting, Robinson said that they can come to the station and begin by meeting with a firefighter asking some questions, and considering if the commitment level matches their lifestyle. "

It's a big commitment with the training and calls."

As for safety tips, Robinson said that it's the one that folks have already heard, but remains important: check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 

"People will think that it's just a noise or the battery, then we will go there and the house is full of carbon monoxide," said Robinson.