When Pavel Zboril moved to Owensboro from the Czech Republic, he thought he left his life as a firefighter behind.
Zboril, who comes from a community near the Czech city of Olomouc, was a volunteer firefighter, from a family of firefighters.
âWe have a long family history of volunteer firefighters in my family,â he said. âI had been around firefighting since day one.â
By law, every community in the Czech Republic has to have a volunteer fire department, he said.
Zboril moved to Owensboro to marry his wife in 2016 who heâd met through the Sister Cities program. Zboril thought he wouldnât work as a firefighter again.
âI told myself, âIâm starting a new life in a new country, probably firefighting is part of my old life in the Czech Republic,â â Zboril said. But, âwhen I would hear the sirens and see firetrucks, I missed the life.â
