Full-time student, part-time firefighter: Aspiring nurse gets straight to work

Paige Gibbons wants to become a nurse after she graduates fromhigh school next month, andshe is already getting a head start on her career by serving as a volunteer firefighter.

"Around a small community like where I live, we mostly get medical calls," said Gibbons, who lives in Centreville-Wareham-Trinity.

"So I figured I'd get a little more hands-on experience with that, and I knew I'd get a high-level first aid, which would also help me next year."

The fact thatGibbons's father is a volunteer firefighter helps too.

She said he has been very supportive of her getting involved.

Gibbons said she has taken part in all the usual training, from storming into a smokehouse a concrete structure where fires are lit for training purposes to having water sprayed at her from the firehose, to get used to the pressure.

'Just thank the fire department'

In September, Gibbons plans to attend the nursing program at Memorial University's Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook.

She said nurses often deal with accident victims, but seldom see the work it takes to get those people to the emergency room.

Now she is getting that experience, and gaining an appreciation for the work that volunteer firefighters do.

"We had a collision there a while back," Gibbons told CBC Radio's Central Morning Show.

"I [saw] the person involved the other day, and they came over and hugged me and they said, 'Just thank the fire department for everything they did.'"

Gibbons said she hopes to return to volunteer firefighting during her summer breaks from University.