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Student hopes to make a difference |
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Thursday, 08 February 2007 |
by TREVA CARTER
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
 Active Image | Ingold
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James “Jimmy” Ingold, a junior marketing major, can be seen Monday through Friday during his usual schedule as a full-time college student.
However, Ingold has something else going on – he volunteers with the Boone Fire Department.
“I’ve been hanging around the fire department since I was 14,” Ingold
said. “My dad was a firefighter. He’s the one that got me started.”
As a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, a fullback on the
Appalachian State University men’s rugby team and a volunteer
firefighter, Ingold has a lot on his plate.
“I enjoy what I do. It’s all a big adrenaline rush,” Ingold said.
Ingold started volunteering in August 2006. He acts as a helper,
responding to a beeper that each member carries and then meets the fire
truck at the location.
“It is a great job. The only reason I wouldn’t do it full-time is the
money,” Ingold said. “You also have to live up to this image; people
hold you to a higher standard.”
Though Ingold may not think he could live up to such standards, others believe differently.
“[Ingold] used to live on my hall last year, now he’s my roommate. He
is a good guy to hang out with. He’s there when you really need him,”
Shane R. Lewis, a sophomore physical education major, said. “Even with
the fire department, rugby and being in a fraternity, he handles it
all.”
“He came in here strong. It was good having someone that knew what they
were talking about,” Travis Spencer, an engineer for Boone Fire Station
No. 2, said.
With previous experience from his hometown of Troy, Jimmy said he felt
excited to join the team in Boone and is now taking classes all year in
hopes of getting certified as a firefighter.
“I think he has done well for the amount of time he’s been here, but I
know it was hard and still gets tough being in a new place and having
to adjust to new ways,” Spencer said.
Being a volunteer firefighter, Ingold has seen his share of both scary
and funny moments. He said the scariest moments are seeing people on
the verge of life and death.
“You never forget what they look like, it sticks with you,” Ingold said.
However, he also runs across more light-hearted matters.
Ingold said the funniest moments would be getting a call from someone
who has the typical “cat stuck in a tree” scenario and people turning
something little into a major event.
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Lifestyles 
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