In the
mood for a revelation? Ask firefighters how they feel about fire. Their
response may surprise you. Firefighters spend their entire careers laying their
lives on the line. Whether they’re battling ripping house fires full of toxic
combustibles, hiking mile after treacherous mile to combat raging wildfires, or
sacrificing it all amidst the horror of a terrorist attack, firefighters are on
the front line when it comes to battling the lethal force that is fire. So you
might find it curious that firefighters actually love fire.
Are they
crazy? (Yes.) Are they obsessed? (Most definitely.) Or are they simply adrenaline
junkies? (C. All of the above.). Firefighters are an unusual breed. Think about
it - cops aren’t infatuated with the criminals they cuff. Oncologists aren’t enamored
of the cancer they annihilate. So how can firefighters love what they spend
their whole lives fighting? The answer: because they are human. And there’s
something about fire that humans simply adore.
As a
firefighter-turned-archaeologist, I’ve spent a lifetime preoccupied with fire. As
a firefighter, I saw its lethal side. I waded through charred wreckage, broke
the news to grieving loved ones, and saluted the caskets of fallen comrades. As
an archaeologist, I’ve explored fire’s positive dimensions: its deep human history,
the fundamental role it has played in culture, and the visceral connection we have with
this phenomenal force.
Perhaps
it’s our ancient association with fire that has so ingrained it in our psyche.
Evidence for its use goes back almost a million years, far longer that our
species has roamed the earth. Homo erectus appears to have been the first to habitually use fire, and we find
their ancient campsites, replete with butchered bones and beautiful stone
tools, dotting their primordial landscapes. Fire provided warmth for our
ancestors, despite the frozen grip of repeated ice ages, and gave them protection
against predators stalking their primitive campsites. Fire provided light
during their primal nights and formed the nucleus for social gatherings, where
they exchanged information, manufactured tools, created art, and told stories.
Fire was a catalyst of human culture.
As
modern humans arose in Africa some two hundred thousand years ago, venturing forth to lay
claim to the globe, they adopted fire, making it one of the most essential
tools in their prehistoric toolkit. But the most important application for fire
predated the arrival of Homo sapiens.
In fact, we moderns may have never evolved had it not been for the invention of
fire’s most essential role: cooking.
Cooking
transformed us. The advent of cooking, especially of meat, was pivotal in the
evolution of our species. Meat provided the valuable nutrients necessary to
fuel our ever-expanding brains, but it was the cooking of meat, along with
plants, tubers, and anything else our ancient brethren happened to toss on the
barbie, that streamlined our digestive tracts and fueled our giant brains.
Cooking
transformed humans because cooking transforms food. If you don’t believe
me, hack off a hunk of raw sirloin and give it a chew. When you’re finally able
to swallow (about twenty minutes from now), I’m betting you’ll be requesting the
rest of that steak “medium well.”
Cooking
jump starts digestion. In meat, it does this by breaking down the muscle fibers.
Cooking also makes meat safer. The heat of cooking kills off pathogens, such as
Clostridium and Staphylococcus, which hide out in undercooked meats just waiting for
the chance to sabotage your gut.
Cooking
also releases nutrients and calories – not only in meat, but in vegetables, as
well. And aside from the nutritional benefits of cooking, most foods simply taste
a whole lot better when cooked. Which would you prefer? A raw potato eaten
apple-style or a steaming baked spud covered in butter and sour cream? (OK, I’d
eat my shoe if it were covered in butter and sour cream, but you get my
point.)
As for
firefighters, the opportunity to sit down at the end of a busy day and swap
stories over a hearty dinner plays a fundamental role in the cohesion and
morale of a fire station. And ever since I traded my helmet for a trowel,
dinner just hasn’t been the same.
Stay
safe out there.
Here's an excellent read on the subject!
