Imagine a knight so brave he would battle a fire-breathing dragon for the hand of a damsel and a king’s ransom. He is certainly a courageous soul, but also resides only in myth and folklore.

Now imagine a knight so brave, that he’ll take an axe, knock out the dragon’s teeth, walk down its throat and quench the flames permanently, and he does this wearing no armor. He wears only a helmet and a heavy jacket. He is not paid a king’s ransom, but only the wages of a peasant. He is the firefighter.

While most people today look up to sports figures and movie stars as idols and heroes, I look up to the firefighter. It is the most underpaid and least-honored of all professions, yet firefighters have constantly risked their lives for almost two thousand years.

The only time they ever had the respect they deserved was when their profession was first conceived.

The history of the firefighter (and even the fire engine) extends all the way to Roman times.

The first firefighters were actually slaves known as the Familia Publica. Unfortunately, as slaves, they were usually unwilling to risk their lives fighting fires.

Emperor Augustus quickly replaced them with freed slaves who could earn citizenship by serving six years as a firefighter. This force was known as the Vigiles, a name derived from their motto “Semper Vigilans” (Always Vigilant). They fought fires using water buckets, ladders and a fire engine which was basically a water tank with a hand operated pump.

Soon, free men were joining the ranks of the Vigiles for the prestige and honor it brought; Vigiles were considered higher in reputation than some of Rome’s most elite legions. The Vigiles lasted only 400 years, though. When the Roman Empire fell, the size of cities decreased along with the need for any substantial fire fighting force.

When cities began to grow again during the Middle Ages, the threat of fire increased. Instead of adopting fire fighting units, most cities employed fire prevention laws. The first laws were actually curfews, but not in the sense of being home by a certain time of night.

The word curfew comes from a French phrase meaning “to cover fire.” The first curfews required candles and fireplaces to be put out by a certain time to prevent fires from happening at night when no one would notice until it was too late.

Curfew laws were soon supplemented with the employment of night watchmen, who were responsible for spotting fires during the night.

The actual combating of fires did not catch on again until the 18th century. At this time, the design of the Roman fire engine resurfaced and would be used for the next 200 years. Along with the fire engine were ladders, leather water buckets, bucket brigades, curfews and watchmen.

Today, the buckets are gone, but the fire engines, axes, hooks and ladders still remain. The modern firefighter’s equipment also includes chain saws, the “jaws of life,” fire resistant clothing, breathing apparatus and thermal cameras (the most recent addition which allows firefighters to better locate victims in dense smoke).

Even with more protective elements and modern equipment, more firefighters are injured or killed in the line of duty than any other profession. They are also underpaid.

A firefighter earns an average of only $35,000 a year, and that’s if he’s a veteran. If there is any job position in the world that is worth millions of dollars a year, it is that of the firefighter. True, some of them may not see much action, but half of their bravery is spent deciding to become a firefighter. They may not see dangerous action, but they must work under the risk of dangerous action.

After our knights have doused the dragon’s flames, they come out, remove their helmets, take off their masks and reveal that they are not mythological figures; they are only mortals. And as mortals, they are still weak and need our support.

There is still a more honorable job than professional firefighter though. That is the job of volunteer firefighter. They willingly walk down the dragon’s throat for free.

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Carmen Cerra is a senior in biological and premedical illustration from Redondo Beach, California.