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Teen doubles as volunteer firefighter
Darius Hadi-Sadegh, Huntington High senior shown Monday, Nov. 23, 2009,, recently completed fire training and is a volunteer at the Green Valley volunteer fire station on W.Va.10.
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HUNTINGTON -- Darius Hadi-Sadegh isn't Superman, but he does throw on a uniform to help people.
The Huntington High School senior is a volunteer firefighter with the Green Valley Volunteer Fire Department on W.Va. 10.
"I love the rush, and I love helping people," he said.
He said he had previously taken emergency medical technician training and wanted to become a firefighter.
"My dad was a doctor, and I always wanted to be like him," he said. "But I'm young and a thrill seeker and wanted something else. Medicine is too slow."
He's only been on a handful of calls, including a car accident where they had to pry off the door, an overdose and a small kitchen fire.
To become a volunteer, he took a week-long, 48-hour course at the Tri-State Fire Academy. He said it was intense, including a building structure fire and search and rescue.
He said he's always ready to go, but the 17-year-old has to turn off his pager around 11 p.m. during the week. But when he's on call and the pager goes off, he rushes to the station, gets on his gear and hops on the truck.
"You really don't know what you're up against until you get to the scene," Hadi-Sadegh said.
Stephen Saunders, the chief at Green Valley, admitted that he didn't know much about his young volunteer. But he said he's impressed with his dedication.
"It's nice to see someone put forth an effort to help the community," Saunders said. "A volunteer fire department is a good avenue to put their efforts into. We have had some firefighters through the years who have come through that path."
Hadi-Sedegh plans to attend college and become an emergency medical physician.
