In the television news business, you ask a lot of questions... But, you also get a lot of questions from the people you meet...
One of the most-frequently asked is "Is your job fun?"
Without question, the answer is "Yes."
I mean, sure there are stories that are not fun to report. But overall, the experience of being a news reporter or photographer is a lot of fun. You find yourself in a constantly-changing environment, often in situations you never would have guessed you would end up in.
Or, as you're about to see... Clothing you never expected you'd end up in...
Everybody, meet Firefighter Frank, Central PA's newest Action Hero.
For those of you familiar with CBS 21's weekly Engine 21 segment, Frank is the man behind the camera when the heat is on...
During a recent filming at the HACC Fire Academy in Harrisburg, Frank was tasked with filming this raging car fire.
It was the opinion of the fire instructors on the scene that Frank should "gear up," just as a precaution. And in doing so, I must admit, Frank was able to get extremely close to the flames to grab some really incredible shots for our report.
What I didn't realize until today, when Frank emailed me, asking if I still had "that picture of me in the firefighting gear"...
...was how much Frank really enjoyed wearing the uniform!
I mean, seriously...! Check out this picture of me (attempting my own best action hero pose), clearly standing much closer to the raging car fire than Frank at this point... with absolutely no protection but a sturdy, all-weather blue jacket.
...yet, Frank remains fully equipped in his jacket and helmet... And beginning to like it.
In this shot, there isn't even any fire to speak of... yet Frank remains prepared for the worst! I mean it, too! If an automatic fire alarm had gone off in the city at this moment, I think Frank might have been first on the scene!
Here, you can see I'm left to stand awkwardly, as Frank is nowhere to be seen. At this point, I wonder if he's gone to join the class of cadets on their next training exercise at the academy.
But in all seriousness, if this blog proves anything... It's the dedication shown daily by our great staff of CBS 21 News photojournalists. Without them, viewers would never get as close to the fires, or as quickly to a scene when it matters most.
We also have a lot of fun in the process.
And so, to our newest Action Hero, Firefighter Frank... I say this...
Pose on, my friend...! Pose on! You deserve it!
Until next time...
-- Mike
