Kindling

September 16, 2024

It is now halfway through September and we have just completed our first bibliography using five articles. I have started to narrow down what exact topic within firefighting I want to specifically focus on. Instead of trying to encompass everything (as who doesn't want to know everything about something you are passionate about?), I am focusing on outdated equipment firefighters use. I want to narrow this further to a specific problem and draft up a prototype to serve as a possible solution for my original work for later in the year.

I feel like this is a good path for my research as not only will it help firefighters in making something easier for them, but having less strain on the body will be greatly beneficial to their overall health. Firefighters are put under a lot of pressure, which is why heart attacks are one of the main killers of firefighters. So my thinking is if I create an invention that can help reduce that load, even by a little, it can help a lot. These research projects are getting me to think about what specifically I want to do and why. Despite this progress, I have faced numerous setbacks already. In the week our bibliography was due I became sick to where I couldn't work on the project. This made me rush my articles and research so I could turn in the bibliography relatively on time. It was especially challenging with all my other make-up work to complete, but in the end, I was able to complete it along with my other work.

Overall, my imagination is growing with every project we do concerning what I should create to help the fire service. I plan on asking some firefighters their opinions on what can be improved on and taking that into account on what I should cultivate. For now, though, I will stick with brainstorming more ideas and add more kindling to the fire.