Meet Freshman Freddie, the firehouse's freshest face and living proof that not all heroes wear capes – some wear slightly bewildered expressions and a backpack filled with coffee orders. At the tender age of 20, Freddie is the quintessential goafer, a pack mule of sorts, whose introduction to firefighting is akin to trying to teach a fish to ride a bicycle.

Early years

As a kid Freddie was raised on the internet with an iPad in his lap watching Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer. Growing up in the era of Minecraft and the sweet sounds of Justin Bieber, Freshman Freddie's childhood was a whirlwind of questionable fashion choices and dance moves that should probably stay in the past. And while we are on the topic of video games, other favorites from the past includes Candy Crush, Angry Birds or anything else that you could play on a hand held device.

Present time

Still in his young adulthood, Freshman Freddie's TV preferences revolve around reality shows, blissfully ignorant of the fact that there are real heroes tackling real-world challenges. Ask him how many friends he has got, and he will say thousands. Ask him how many he has met IRL and the answer is about 20. When it comes to sharing feelings the easiest way for Freddie is to fire you a text filled with a pack of emojis.

Fashion-wise, Freddie is a walking contradiction of skinny jeans and neon-colored sneakers, a style he proudly credits to his favorite Instagram influencers. His transportation device of choice is a sleek electric scooter, the epitome of modern efficiency, though he's yet to grasp the intricacies of navigating it through a firehouse.

His favorite media of choice is exclusively social from which he absorbs everything. This is where his entire world view and current wisdom has been obtained, including his understanding of firefighting, all marinated in the same Tik Tok soundtrack over and over and over again.

The pandemic, a bizarre global event that Jake has mostly encountered through meme formats, left him convinced that Zoom calls and face masks are standard firefighting gear, and the concept of a world without Wi-Fi is as alien to him as a world without gravity.

Strengths

Freshman Freddie's role as the designated cleaner and goafer is a testament to his initiation into the firefighting brotherhood. Need a mop? Freddie 's your guy. Missing a hose? Freddie's sprinting to the nearest hardware store. And when it comes to cleaning, Jake approaches the task with the zeal of someone trying to impress his Instagram followers.

So, the next time you see a whirlwind of questionable fashion, an electric scooter, and a mop, rest assured it's Freshman Freddie – the Newbie whose heart is in the right place, even if his firefighting knowledge is yet to log in.