Jonathan Beam always wanted to be a firefighter.

There were no other options. His father Greg Beam was a long-time firefighter with Winchester Fire-EMS, working his way up to the rank of major.

“I was hooked on it as a kid,” Jonathan Beam, now a 12-year veteran firefighter, said. “I started when I was 17.”

Until he turned 18, he could not take an active role.

“Really just observe and help outside,” he said. “I could hang around the fire station and ride the trucks.”

Once he turned 18, he had to start his career with other departments. The city has a nepotism policy which prevented him from working with his father, he said. So he started with Clark County’s fire department and went to Montgomery County’s fire department for a while, until Greg retired about three years ago. Shortly afterward, Jonathan started at Winchester Fire-EMS as a firefighter/EMT.

Thanks to his father’s involvement and exposure to the department, Beam said he was already used to much of the equipment and most of the firefighting aspects, but the department does much more.

“I didn’t understand the EMS side, the rescue side of it,” he said. “We don’t just fight fires. We do everything.

“We do a lot of EMS assists and alarms, a lot of public assistance calls. Any second you can have anything. You prepare for everything the best you can.”

Each year, Beam and the other firefighters accumulate hundreds of hours of training to maintain their certifications, meet the city’s requirements and to fill any specialties.

“A lot of times people think we sit in the recliner and watch TV all day,” he said. “We’re constantly training. We have 7,000 to 8,000 runs a year. You have thousands of hours of training each year. We’re not allowed to sit down and watch TV until after 5 p.m.”

In addition to his regular firefighting duties, Beam assists with the department’s fire and explosive investigations. Again, it was a role his father Greg filled during his time with the city.

“Dad was an investigator when he was here,” Jonathan said. “I always thought about it. I didn’t think it would happen this soon, but when I got hired, the opportunity opened.”

Beam said he loves being able to serve the community, but the best part is seeing people’s reactions.

“My favorite part is the kids,” he said. “You’ll be driving down the street and they want you to blow the horn. You’ll be in the grocery store and they want to see the truck. I remember as a kid how exciting it was to see the firefighters.

“It’s a pretty rewarding career. I never thought about doing anything else.”