Meet Our Crew: Firefighter Adam Bender
Adam Bender made his dad proud when he followed in his footsteps and became a fireman.
Bender, 25, is a firefighter II/EMT with Midway Fire Rescue.
He was born in New Paltz, New York, and graduated from New Paltz High School in 2008.
He started his career in 2007 volunteering with the Gardiner Fire Department in Gardiner, New York, and studying studied fire science at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
He moved to South Carolina in 2013 to take the job with Midway. The beaches and the beautiful weather lured him to the south.
“I felt like a lot of people were living in the same town and doing the same thing and if I wanted to move and do something different with my life, that was the time to do it, while I was young.”
Bender has specialized training in hazmat, vehicle extrication and water rescues, which he really enjoys.
“It’s a pretty good opportunity to do something different that not everybody else does,” Bender said. “We never did anything like this in New York. We weren’t a coastal area. ... It’s been a big difference for me coming to a fire department and doing ocean rescues.”
Bender’s professional goal is to get all the training available in order to continue to advance his career. He’s one class away from qualifying as a master firefighter.
Bender is single and lives in Myrtle Beach.
When he’s not working he likes to ride his Harley, go to the beach or go boating.
“We always go out on the boat and hang out in the waterway or go ride motorcycles. The weather cooperates 90 percent of the time,” Bender said.
He also like to watch football, especially the New York Giants, and play softball with the Midway guys.
His personal goals are to settle down, buy a house and start a family.
“The run-of-the-mill American dream,” Bender said.
He doesn’t see a time where he relocates back to New York.
“I like it here,” Bender said. “There’s a lot more opportunities here. ... I think I’m pretty well set.”
What’s the best advice he ever got from a veteran firefighter?
“If you ever come into the station and the fire truck is flipped over and everything’s out on the floor, flip it back over and put everything back in it and go to work,” Bender said.
By Chris Sokoloski
South Strand News
