UNIT 5: WORK AND CAREER
My name‿ is‿ Omar. My brother‿ is‿ a firefighter,│ and‿ I have spen(t) ten years‿ asking (h)im why he does‿ a job that has‿ injured (h)im twice‿ an(d) pays (h)im less than‿ a manager‿ in‿ a warehouse.
The answer‿ involves‿ a wor(d) that‿ is‿ easily mocked:│ duty. He is highly specialised,│ he is‿ on call one weekend‿ a month,│ and‿ every intervention begins with‿ a risk‿ assessment,│ which‿ is the par(t) that the public never sees. What they see is the rescue,│ an(d) the rescue is‿ a tiny proportion‿ of the work. The occupational hazards‿ are real,│ an(d) so is the psychological cost. Six‿ of his colleagues have taken long leave│ after traumatic‿ incidents,│ an(d) two of them never returned.
I used tousta think that dangerous work should simply be automated‿ or banned. Now I understan(d) that somebody has tohasta enter the burning building,│ an(d) the argument‿ is really about compensation‿ an(d) protective‿ equipment. He is rewarded‿ in‿ a currency I do not fully share:│ when he carries‿ a child‿ out ofoutta‿ a house,│ nothing‿ else compares. I could not do it,│ and‿ I have stopped pretending│ that my office job‿ is‿ equally demanding,│ because‿ it‿ is not.