There are times I really get tired of my job. You probably know the feeling; you wake up one particular morning and your head hurts at the prospect of another day at the office.

Yet though I might complain from time to time and have days where all I want to do is stay in bed and watch TV, I never have to worry about my work putting me in harm’s way.

There’s a lot to be said for that, even if it’s not something most of us stop to consider every day. Indeed, it’s easy to forget that there exist professions out there that aren’t just mentally challenging, but also actively hazardous for the people who do them.

Being a firefighter is one. Personally, I don’t think firefighters get enough credit for the bravery they show simply in turning up for their shift each day, but there’s a photo doing the rounds online at the moment that quite rightly pushes firefighters – and awareness as to the insane conditions they’re sometimes expected to operate in – to the fore…

When I was younger, I dreamt of being a firefighter – if my NBA career never took off, that is – but these days I’m rather happy to have other people doing it in my stead.

Call me cowardly, but there are few things I’d relish less than the task of charging headfirst into a burning building.

Fortunately for society, not everyone is of the same mindset as I am. There are brave souls who regularly risk their lives to save others and limit casualties whenever fires break out or serious accidents occur.

And we’re not only referring to pulling people out of burning cars of entering apartment blocks engulfed in flames – both heroic acts, it must be said – but also those times when firefighters are tasked with combatting one of nature’s most terrifying, destructive forces: wildfires.