FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR
ANSWERING THE CALL
Firefighter of the Year has a long rooted history in Huntsville
STORY & PHOTOS BY MIKAH BOYD
Chase Wood is committed to serving the city that his family has called home for generations . Wood started working for the city of Huntsville 15 years ago in the water department , then moved to sewage where he remained until he heard of an opening at Huntsville Fire Department . He found that taking this position at the FD would align more with passion of helping others .
“ The one thing I love about the job is teaching new guys — that ’ s one of my passions — training and teaching these young , eager firemen that come in and want to learn ,” Wood said . “ I really enjoy that part of the job .”
Since he is dedicated to helping people , seeing others hurting is the toughest part of firefighting for Wood . This extends to the loved ones of those involved in the incidents he responds to , as he must face their pain and push through to complete the tasks at hand .
“ I ’ ve been doing it for 14 years and it never gets easier ,” Wood said .
All the physical and emotional effort is worth it to Wood when
he can save lives . He explained that he often responds to vehicle accidents , where the auto extraction can often save a victim ’ s life or limbs .
“ That keeps me hooked too , when we get those calls where we get to do what we ’ re here to do ,” Wood said . “ Those challenging calls that you get to show up , and make decisions to do what ’ s best for that scenario and then later see the outcome of it .”
Making these decisions is a major part of Wood ’ s role as captain . When he loads into the firetruck , he is constantly thinking about how he and his team can approach each unique situation in a way that guarantees everyone ’ s safety and the success of their mission . These decisions have repeatedly led to the safe retrieval of pets and the preservation of victims ’ belongings .
“ It feels good , it feels natural , it feels like I ’ m at home doing what I feel like I was called to do ,” Wood said . “ It ’ s definitely a calling , because it was something I never really thought about and then all of the sudden I did it and I got better and better at it over the years to where now it ’ s just second nature . I couldn ’ t see myself doing anything else .”
“
32 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | JULY-AUGUST 2021
It never gets easier , I ’ ve been doing it for 14 years and it never gets easier .
”