Every so often, people ask me what I’m up to. Obviously, a lot of my time is spent at work, but that leaves many hours for other activities. Some of that time is spent playing hockey (more so in the winter than the summer). Other blocks of time find me playing poker, as seems to be the fad these days. Reading newspapers and books eats up some time, but I’m still left with large sessions of mindless web surfing. Web surfing can be entertaining in the short term, but, much like watching television, it generally isn’t a good way to use up precious recreation time. Well then, what is a good use of those many hours?

An evening college class seemed to be the answer. I wasn’t looking for anything even remotely related to my day job or even my future full-time endeavors. No, I wanted something interesting, exciting, and — most importantly — fun. What topic did I choose? How would I spend countless hours for the next four months? Wait for it…

Firefighting!

A “Firefighter I” course, to be specific.

Of course, there was a huge problem coupled with that decision: I wasn’t sure whether or not people take that type of class on a lark. A conversation with the college registrar allayed my concerns enough to register.

At the first class, I was relieved to see that my fears were unfounded. About two thirds of the 16 students are affiliated with fire departments, but the other five are, like me, taking the class out of independent interest. The median student age seems to be around 22, which adds to me sense of belonging. The teacher is semi-retired from fire fighting (after 25 years) and definitely seems to know what he’s talking about. The course itself is split between lecture and lab, so there’s lots of hands-on practice of the various techniques that are discussed in the classroom. So far, it’s a blast.

Why firefighting? As I mentioned earlier, I think the topic is interesting. I enjoyed playing with the Pike fire trucks. I have a certain [non-malicious] fascination with fire (albeit not quite to the level of a certain pyro). On top of those whimsical reasons is a solidly real one: the physical challenge of firefighting activities provides stark contrast to the posterior-enlarging days of working at a computer.

Why take the course if I’m not part of a department? Due to my living in St. Paul, which is served by career firefighters, I don’t have the option of joining a department on a volunteer (part-time) basis. When I move to a suburban location, I plan to pursue a volunteer position, but that might be many (many!) years away.

Until then, it’s a fun diversion.