Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story.

Junior Pat Fogarty found himself in the back of an ambulance giving CPR to a woman who had little chance of living. After 25 minutes though, the woman was breathing.

This is just another day for Fogarty as a firefighter at the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company. “Outside of school, I spend a lot of time at the firehouse responding to emergency calls in Bel Air and throughout the county,” Fogarty said.

He became a volunteer firefighter in March of 2011 because he was “always interested in becoming a firefighter since I was a kid and I thought it would be a great way to help others in need,” Fogarty said.

Fogarty is dedicated, even when the hours are hard. “I pull duty hours at the station on Friday or Saturday nights which basically means I sleep at the station and have to be there from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day,” Fogarty said.

Even though he spends a lot of time at the firehouse, Fogarty still finds balance in his life. “Sometimes it’s hard because I have to choose between doing things with friends or spending time at the firehouse, but I think I have a pretty good balance of everything. A lot of times I’m able to do homework at the station while we’re waiting for a call,” Fogarty said.

Fogarty is taking a class to become a nationally certified firefighter. “I’m currently taking a six month course through the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute to become a nationally certified firefighter,” Fogarty said.

In addition to that, he is also taking on yet another course to further his abilities.  “I’m starting a course soon to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT),” Fogarty said.

Fogarty has good reason for wanting to become an EMT. “I want to get my EMT certification because I feel that it is a great thing to be able to provide medical attention to someone in need. It will serve me well outside of the station too because you never know when and where a medical emergency will occur in everyday life,” Fogarty said.

No matter how hard the job gets or how long the hours are, Fogarty wants to maintain his position of being a firefighter and an EMT for as long as he can.

“I plan on continuing being a volunteer firefighter until I’m old and can no longer physically handle it,” Fogarty said.

 Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.