by Paige K. Mitchell, For New Pittsburgh Courier
Self-sacrifice, integrity, dedication, character, resilience, and strength are a few of the unwritten rules that are necessary traits of those that we call firefighters.
Firefighters help protect the public in emergency situations. They respond to a wide variety of calls; in addition to fires, they assist at car crashes, chemical spills, flooding and water rescue.
While many firefighters are seen as a function of society that have a duty to show up to rescue members of the community, don’t forget that firefighters are human, too. Every time 911 dispatch contacts the firehouse with an emergency, each firefighter puts their lives at risk.
Do you ever wonder just who are these men and women in uniform, here to protect and serve…and save lives?
Jamison Bridgett is a firefighter you should know about. At 28 years old, he is a firefighter for the City of Pittsburgh—Lincoln-Larimer 15 Engine. He is a father of three; Jamison Jr. (10), Jaelle (7), and Josiah (1). He is Black and Puerto Rican, born and raised right here in Pittsburgh, and a graduate of Peabody High School.
Bridgett dedicates his life to his children and civilians daily. But, in an exclusive interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier, he said it’s been anything but easy.
Bridgett decided to pursue a career in firefighter rescue in the spring of 2016, after attending a recruiting event in the Hill District where he met Chief Darryl Jones. He immediately began the process to become a firefighter, and that’s when the unimaginable happened.
A night of bowling with his oldest son led him to the hospital, as something just wasn’t feeling right in his lower leg. While he was bowling, he experienced a stiffness and burning pain in his leg. Turns out, Bridgett had injured his Achilles tendon, which then turned into an infection. Bridgett never thought that a burning pain in his leg would turn into a major situation that required surgery.
“I had to be hospitalized for two weeks in the midst of being accepted in the firefighter academy,” Bridgett told the Courier. “It was a very scary and depressing time. I thought I was going to be kicked out of the academy because I missed so many days and my physical strength was no longer up to par.”
Bridgett talked about how his children kept his spirits up, along with his internal determination to become a firefighter, while he was hospitalized.
“It was a very dark time for me. I remember the moment the doctor told me, I was in jeopardy of losing my foot due to how the infection had spread. I had so many questions, not enough answers. I wasn’t sure what was ahead but the finish line remained clear. I knew I had to get through it. I had to hold on to my faith and kept believing things would somehow work its way out. I couldn’t have gotten through it without God.”
The Achilles’ tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body. It stretches from the bone of one’s heel to the calf muscles. According to WebMD, when the calf muscles flex, the Achilles tendon pulls on the heel, allowing a person to stand on their toes when walking, running or jumping. Despite the strength of the Achilles, it’s vulnerable to injury, due to its limited blood supply and the high tensions placed on it. An Achilles injury can happen to anyone, whether you’re an athlete or just going about everyday life.
Bridgett’s foot could have been amputated if the infection continued to spread. But after the surgery and the treatment of the infection, doctors were able to save the foot. He was released from the hospital, but had to walk with the use of a scooter for three months as he healed.
“I just felt like, the only thing I had to rely on was God,” Bridgett told the Courier. “It was challenging, balancing it all—the academy, fathering my kids, and I’m also a barber so I continued cutting hair,” Bridgett said.
Eventually, the scooter went away, and he was able to resume his quest to become a firefighter, where physical strength is mandatory. Recruits like Bridgett had to run for miles, perform push-ups and pull-ups, and were tested on quickness and strength.
When it was all said and done, Bridgett’s dream of officially becoming a firefighter came true on Oct. 26, 2018, when a group of Pittsburgh firefighters received their official certifications at a graduation ceremony on Washington Blvd. in the East End. During the graduation ceremony, Bridgett and the dozens of other graduates put on a demonstration of some of the things they learned during the academy, such as how to properly put out a fire, how to get a trapped person out of a wrecked car, and more.
According to data from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire’s website, a first-year firefighter earns $40,093. That number leaps to $47,162 in the second year, $54,223 in the third year, and $61,094 in the fourth year.
“It’s crazy how many hurdles were faced in the process of figuring out I wanted to pursue my purpose in being a firefighter,” Bridgett said, who’s now deep into his second full year as a Pittsburgh firefighter. “My determination was tested, my health was compromised, and the things that truly matter became so clear. Moving forward it’s an honor to be a firefighter. I don’t feel like a hero or anything. I’m just Jamison, and excited that God is using me as a change agent. God rescued me so I could assist in rescuing others.”
Lori Bridgett-Knox, Bridgett’s mother, said that Bridgett “has always been driven by his dreams and goals, and therefore an overcomer of adversity. I never once had even a shadow of a doubt that he would fully recover from the setback that occurred during his training as a firefighter.”
(Rob Taylor Jr. contributed to this story.)
(ABOUT THE TOP PHOTO: PITTSBURGH FIREFIGHTER JAMISON BRIDGETT, a graduate of Peabody High School.