“Can I punch someone in the gut to help them live?” Firefighters say no.

It turns out it’s never OK to “punch someone in the gut,” according to local firefighters.

Lacey Fire District 3 was on-hand to teach CPR and answer burning questions posed by 7th graders at Komachin Middle School on Friday. Questions ranged from the obvious: “How dangerous is it to be a firefighter?” To the not-so-obvious: “Can I punch someone in the gut to help them live?”

Firefighters took to Twitter to answer these questions.

Why is the fire department called the fire FIRE department if they help with other things?

Lacey Fire’s response: “TRADITION! But also because out patch is too small to fit ‘Lacey fire, Medical, Technical Rescue, Service & Problem Solvers Department.”

How often do you guys get a call for help?

Lacey Fire’s response: “On average, every 37 minutes! That’s more than 13,000 calls last year.”

How dangerous is it to be a firefighter?

Lacey Fire’s response: “Less dangerous than being a logger, but more dangerous than a career as an accountant... (unless the accountant rides a motorcycle to work).”

Can I punch someone in the gut to help them live?

Lacey Fire’s response: “Absolutely not! Under no circumstances should you do that. Ever! We swore an oath to protect our community & do no harm.”

For more revalations about firefighting, follow Lacey Fire on Twitter at @LaceyFireDist3.

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 8:54 AM with the headline "“Can I punch someone in the gut to help them live?” Firefighters say no.."