FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Those interested in experiencing a day in the life of a Fresno City Firefighter had the chance to suit up, climb ladders, and try their hand at life-saving measures. On Saturday, the Fresno Fire Department held its annual Firefighter for the Day event.  "We put this on so the community members can see what it takes to become a firefighter," said Fresno Fire Captain Kevin Reynolds. This year, nearly 30 participants attended. After suiting up, they broke into groups and made their way to different exercise stations. One exercise was a mock basement search, which led participants through a tight, dark pathway where they crawled, fully suited up, while carrying a breathing apparatus. "Kind of a recruitment tool as well," added Reynolds. Reynolds shared that two of their female firefighters did this same event and later joined the department. Another exercise involved vehicle extrication, where participants used the jaws of life and axes to pry open doors and cut hinges off cars. "Sometimes, you know, you can pop a door within a few minutes and sometimes you're cutting on a car for an hour or longer trying to get a victim out of one of the cars." The Fresno Fire Department, composed of more than 350 firefighters, responds to over seven thousand fires annually. "We can be on fires for six, eight hours, or longer wearing that gear, and typically you're wearing for about 40 minutes in each rotation here," explained Reynolds. With their gear, breathing apparatus, and other tools, firefighters enter a scene about a hundred pounds heavier. But their job goes beyond fighting fires. Saturday's exercise included CPR hands-on training. "We're learning now that if we can just get hands on the chest and push hard, push, push fast before we arrive, we have better outcomes on cardiac arrest victims." Community members walked away from this weekend’s event with a better understanding of what firefighters do and perhaps a bit more gratitude for all that the Fresno firefighters do.