Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2017, Blaðsíða 70

70 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09 — 2017
There isn’t much mystery around the
job of a firefighter, nor is there room
for fuss or frippery. A constant step
away from the ugly side of life, they
live on the edge, ready for action. They
breathe life and death, daily. And some-
times they do some cat rescuing, too.
“There is a lot of traffic during the
day,” Inspector Jóhann Viggo Jónsson
tells me as he shows me around the
station. “At night it’s more comfort-
able, though. It’s just us and it’s a bit
like a family. We don’t have to behave
well unless we have guests!” He seems
to be everything you would want from
a man in his position. He doesn’t shy
away from a joke, but he’s also calm
and firm when he needs. I can eas-
ily imagine his 26 years of experience
come in handy in difficult situations.
Ready for action
Firefighters in Iceland are forwarded
most help calls that reach the emer-
gency line. They take care of water leaks
as well as traffic accidents and broken
bones. “Whatever happens people al-
ways call us first,” fellow firefighter
Hlynur Höskuldsson bellows from be-
hind the fence of computers on his desk.
Currently working as a middleman be-
tween the emergency line and the of-
fice, for the past sixteen years Hlynur
has more often than not been down at
the ambulances. “Around 80% of the job
actually revolves around them,” he adds.
Most nights, however, the team fo-
cusses on training. “When you are in
a situation of danger you stop think-
ing. You do what you know,” Jóhann
tells me. “So it‘s important for us to
train new members as much as pos-
sible and make sure their responses
become automatic.” In addition to
training with the ambulances and fire
trucks, firefighters can take advan-
tage of the machines stationed in the
basements. Physicals and endurance
tests are their bread and butter and
after looking at Dynja Guðlaugsdóttir
practicing with the hose in the park-
ing lot there’s really no doubt about it.
Dynja has been a firefighter for
only two years but if it weren’t for her
fresh face you’d never be able to tell.
She pounces at the fire truck with ea-
gerness and precision, rolling the hose
out and running towards a tree nearby.
A serpent of water bursts out aiming
for the sky, tickling the top leaves of
the tree before curling up on itself and
falling back again. “I had been dream-
ing about becoming a firefighter or a
policeman since I was a little girl but
it’s nothing like I thought it would be,”
she explains later. “There is a lot of
work to do through the ambulances.
Like when a colleague and I helped a
baby being born on the way to the hos-
pital. That was a fun life experience!”
The good and the bad
Naturally, not everything is as fun as sav-
ing lost kittens. To make sure workers
don’t fall into a cycle of depression follow-
ing particularly gruesome accidents, two
psychologists work in cooperation with
the station and can be reached in case
of emergency. “But it’s the team itself
that provides the best trauma service,”
Jóhann adds paternally. “We sit here
with a cup of coffee and talk together.”
“It’s an extremely varied job,” Hlynur
echoes. “A long time ago, before Christ-
mas, there was a massive accident.
Three people died. It doesn‘t happen of-
ten. But then four days later we ended
the shift helping a woman give birth.
It’s the perfect example of the ups and
downs of our job. It can start in an awful
way but then it can also be great fun.”
Now, that’s a night shift to remember.
HOUR OF THE WOLF
Extinguishing The
Midnight Oil
Training With Reykjavík’s Firefighters
Words:
Alice Demurtas
Photos:
Art BicnickDon’t Ask
Nanna:
To Say Nice Things
About Iceland
Words: Nanna Árnadóttir
Nanna,
You’re always shitting on Iceland,
can’t you say something nice about
it for a change?
Posi-Guy

Hey Posi-Guy,
Let me see what I can do.
[Thinks.]
Sure Iceland’s cold, but at least it’s ex-
pensive.
Nanna

Hæ Nanna!
What's the best word describing
Iceland for you?
Best,
Wordsmith

Hæ Wordsmith,
The word I feel most accurately de-
scribes Iceland today is Costco.
Best,
Nanna

Hi Nanna,
If I want to make sure I see puf-
fins on my next visit, when should I
schedule my trip?
Puff The Magic Puffin

Hi Puff!
The best time to see puffins is in the win-
ter time when they snuggle up to their
cliffside nests. During the summer they
spend their time out at sea and you have
poor visibility so it’s best to avoid Iceland
around that time if puffin watching is
what you’re looking for. It’s an idea also,
to insist your tour guide help you catch
then cut out the raw and beating heart of
one of the puffins for you to eat. Other-
wise they won’t respect you.
Best,
Nanna
Don't email Nanna: nanna@grapevine.is
Don't tweet at: @NannaArnadottir To Inspector Jóhann Viggo Jónsson, endurance is key. Train in the gym but be ready for action.
Constant training is essential. Dynja Guðlaugsdóttir
practices with a hose with her colleagues.
"When there is a fire we need to be able to act as
quickly as we can," Jóhann explains.
West-Iceland