Crime & Safety
The Hero Next Door: John Deutsch
Meet John Deutsch, the first assistant fire chief for Vigilance Hose Co. No. 1 and this week's 'Hero Next Door' on Nazareth Patch.
John Deutsch, 45, has been a firefighter with since he was 15, when he joined as a junior fireman. Deutsch is a borough resident and works for the Nazareth Area School District.
What made you decide to become a firefighter?
“Watching the shiny fire trucks go by when I was little.”
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[laughs]
“I lived right by the firehouse. When I got older, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
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What kind of training is involved in becoming a firefighter?
“There’s a lot of state-mandated courses you have to take. It’s about four or five months of school -- well over a hundred hours of training.”
What is it like being an officer?
“There’s not as much going into buildings, but I’m not going to make someone do something that I don’t think they could handle. The adrenaline starts coursing… we have some guys that we have to pull back by the collar.”
How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger?
“My wife gets nervous when I’m on a call. She was a member, too, until we had kids. She knows what it’s like.”
What would you tell people interested in joining Vigilance Hose?
“Be patient, especially with training. It’s hard to do, but you have to be patient. [When you're] on a call, you have to think straight.”
