Antarctica – A recently retired firefighter Captain Kirk Edgington told Sciotopost during a retirement interview that he may take a dream job shortly after retiring from the Circleville Fire Department. Edgington said the job would only last around six months but it would be a experience he couldn’t ignore. In October of this year Edgington made the commitment to serve with the Anartic Fire Department at the McMurdo Station in Antartica.
The McMurdo Station is the main US station in Antarctica and is located at the top of Ross Island. The primary goal of the station is logistics facility for supply of the more inland stations and field camps performing scientific projects year round.
The temperature is around -58 degrees in the winter and can be as warm as 46 in the summer months, not including wind chills. Antarctica is governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty System that allows multiple governments and nations to explore and run scientific tests in a peaceful purpose. “No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica. No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force,” According to the Antarctic Treaty System.
Edgington is currently working at the station as a firefighter and he said that the different challenges of firefighting in a sub zero environment was a interesting challenge he wanted to learn about and be apart of. Edgington retired from Circleville Fire Department on May 4,2018
The station is not without its dangers as two fire suppression subcontractors lost their lives on Thursday doing maintenance to a generator in a outbuilding at McMurdo Station. The population of the station is around 1000 people.
Heres a video of life in the station its a 360 video so you can look around during the entire video
