Margaret Eley | Staff Writer
Junior C9 student Jamie Jackomis always wanted to be a paramedic, but a visit to Fire Station 13 in Downtown Indianapolis changed her mind.
“Since I was only fifteen I wasn’t allowed to job shadow a paramedic, so I thought going to a fire station would be as close as I could get,” Jackomis said. “After going [to the fire station] I decided I wanted to become a firefighter. I had an experience there I will never forget.”
This experience for her was a turning point in deciding her future career.
“All of the firefighters were really close. It was like a brotherhood, and that’s something I really want,” Jackomis said. “After going on runs with all of them I realized how cool it would be to be a part of that.”
During her sophomore year, Jackomis went on a tour of Central Nine to look into their firefighter department. She fell in love and now attends C9 throughout the week to train for her dream job.
“For fire safety at C9, we do powerpoints or physical training,” Jackomis said. “We do a lot of bunker drills which is when we put on all the gear and do drills, we are always training for the worst.”
Since firefighting is a male dominant field, Jackomis works hard to prove to her classmates that she belongs there.
“I may be one of the only girls in the firefighter program at C9, but I dominate the boys,” Jackomis said. “I sometimes feel like people assume that since I am a girl I am weaker, but since I’ve always played sports I have no problem keeping up with the strength training.”
C9 has allowed Jackomis to become more advanced in her field and gain the certifications she needs before graduation. She is going to be ahead of other students who want to become firefighters that didn’t do C9.
“When I graduate I will already be certified in Fire Fighting One, Two, and EMS [Emergency Medical Service],” Jackomis said.
Once Jackomis graduates, she still plans to attend college to get a higher education to climb the rankings at the fire stations.
“Even though I’ll already be certified I’m still going to continue my education,” Jackomis said. “I plan on getting a degree in fire science, I think by doing this it will help me stand out.”
