(fallen london stamps by actual thought I have been having the past few days: "maybe I will quit my job in tech and become a firefighter"
which, I am not actually going to do this:
for one, everyone in the system would need to be on board.
for another, our body is unsuited for it in a way that isn't like... fixable with training? in addition to being noodly and eepy, we're horribly nearsighted, and have a recurring back issue that flares up at random and makes it hard to walk.
for yet another, I know that firefighting as a profession involves a lot more than charging into fires, that a lot of it is also mundane busywork and (augh) public speaking, and - most crucially - that firefighters end up being first responders for horrific assaults, murders, and other acts of actual human depravity on a regular basis. I think I could learn to handle being surrounded by death and tragedy that comes from legitimate accidents - if anything, I'd want to put myself forward so that other people don't have to. I don't think I could cope with it when it's a thing people choose to do.
(for yet another, I'm acutely aware that our society sucks and I do not trust it to not throw me aside like a sack of rotten potatoes if I become disabled in the line of work. which, lmao, I guess it says something that I'm like "I'd rather literally die in a fire than live with the rage and heartbreak of being left to rot after putting my life on the line over and over for others.")
and of course, despite being chads compared to cops, firefighters aren't perfect themselves - depending on where you go, there's swagger, hazing, negligence, harassment, bigotry, etc. (though that's true for a lot of places. like tech.)
but still, it is certainly a thought I have been rotating in my head.