Brianna Ridings introduces herself in a letter to judges for her senior project. She created a documentary titled "Fighting the Fire" about the local fire department to learn more about her father and grandfather's career as firefighters. She interviewed Captain Matt Broderick and spent time at the fire station. Creating the documentary was challenging due to the unpredictable nature of fire calls interrupting interviews. Through the project, Brianna gained a greater appreciation for the physical and emotional demands of being a firefighter and the importance of camaraderie between firefighters. She learned that the job requires extensive scientific knowledge and courage to face danger, concluding that firefighting is not the right career for her.

1. 1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
April 19, 2012
Judges, Senior Project
Creekview High School
1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
Dear Judges:
Hello, first of all I would like to introduce myself, I am Brianna Ridings. I am a determined
young adult that has taken my desires and dreams and have worked to achieve my aspirations. I
have become a partner within my local community and have taken part in helping to understand
and explore my global community as well. I enjoy spending time volunteering in many
organizations, attending trips internationally for extended periods of time, and studying cultures
to gain a better understanding what the needs of the world are. I currently am a member of the
varsity track team and I am involved with a local youth group. With the unique experiences I
have been able to participate in, I have come up with a few short-term and long-term goals that I
aim to achieve. These goalsinclude: Get a part-time job, learn the practice of kickboxing, expand
my knowledge in photography,travel to Africa, and attend college to eventually get my master’s
degree. I want to become a high school history teacher and propose to teach in different way,
rather than just sitting in a desk and taking notes I want to show that different people learn in
different ways. I would like the opportunity to enhance their learning experience; I want to
empower those who struggle to learn that many different teaching methods are out there if you
are allowed to teach outside of the box using unconventional teaching methods. However, for
my senior project I chose to take on a task that I never really gave much thought to. I wanted to
create a documentary on the fire department; it has been something that has always been a part of
my life as my father and grandfather both have chosen the career of a professional firefighter. I
never explored deep into what it really was, and I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to get
a better understanding of what my grandfather loved doing for a living and what my dad can’t
imagine ever not being. It’s such an engrained part of who they are and what they stand for that
I felt I needed to take a better look.
“Fighting the Fire” is the title of my documentary that is my final product. My goal was to learn
more about firefighting through interviews and I felt that the best way to present what I had
obtained was by putting it into a video. In the beginning, I researched on the history of the fire
department and quickly I learned that the idea of firefighting has been around since 24 BC and is
constantly changing due to the inventions and availability of the newest technology. I
alsoresearched briefly, how physically and mentally demanding this job can be. I discussed it
over with my father on multiple occasions who I should ask to be my project facilitator and
that’s when we agreed that Captain Matt Broderick would be the best choice. I wanted him to be
my facilitator because he has a vastknowledge base on the fire service and has been working in
the field for 22 years. In preparation of meeting with my facilitatorI was able to come up with the
specific questions I wanted to touch on in the interviewing process. After that I spent all the time

2. I could at Johns Creek Station 63, not only asking my questions, but also experiencing first-hand
what really goes on in a firehouse. Unfortunately, this is where I ran into problems. Planning
was difficult because most days I had limited time, and so did the firemen. They have to attend
meetings, promote safety, and educate the community. Patience was something I had to learn
because right in the middle of an interview or a discussion and WHAM the buzzer would alarm
and off they went to catch a call. Quickly, I had to reschedule my time so I was able to get the
video footage that I really wanted. They could be gone a few minutes, or for a few hours! Once
I was able to get my video footage, I ran into many obstacles with modern technology. I had to
overcome my video not saving and then my computer kept messing up. I really had to push
myself to make the best possible video without becoming frustrated with all the unforeseen
issues. I wanted to spend as much time as possible getting as many aspects of the job to try show
what it really involves.
My topic specifically was to learn what it is like to be a firefighter, and how being a firefighter is
emotionally and physically demanding. However, after researching and talking to many firemen
I learned that the job is more than putting out fire. Being a firefighter you have to know the
science behind it. And the science is intense and confusing, not to mention dangerous if you are
unaware of what you are dealing with. All the way from the basic elements of fuel, heat and
oxygen, which is what makes a fire to begin with, to being shown how they use equations to
figure fire flow for buildings and water pressure. But more importantly, I got to learn how
important is to them to stand by their fellow fireman as a brother, and to be prepared for anything
to happen at any given moment. I believe that being a firefighter takes a lot of courage and I
think they are special, even heroes. I have learned from this experience that firefighting is not an
occupation for me; I think I would be scared of going to work each and every day.
Through the process of the senior project I learned a lot about myself. I’m organized but I don’t
have a lot of self-motivation. I believe that the project was good for me, even though it took up a
lot of my free time; I have gained a better appreciation and an even greater respect for the men
and women that choose this profession. I think of them every time I pass a firehouse now, and I
think of all that they do for those they protect in their territories.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Brianna Ridings