For about a year now, Rosemont College volleyball student-athlete Veronica Bates has been considering a career in forensics or investigative photography. Her reasoning?

"A lot of people can't take these kinds of pictures. They need people to do this, so why not?" she said.

Bates' confidence in her aptitude for such a challenging line of work is firmly rooted in her off-the-court experiences as a volunteer photographer for the Edgemont Fire Company in Gradyville, Pennsylvania. Her photos play a key role in investigating circumstances surrounding the fire and accident calls to which the company responds.

The junior art major with a concentration in photography joined the company as its first, and currently only, photographer four years ago. Her father, brother and fiancé also are members.

Bates manages her volunteer responsibilities around a full course load, as well as her athletics obligations. A pager alerts her to when the company has been called to action, and as long as she isn't in class or on the volleyball court, Bates is free to fly to the scene. Whether she catches one of Edgemont's fire engines to the scene or drives herself, immediately after arriving, she begins capturing the process of extinguishing a blaze or clearing an accident.

"I've been to a few house fires and I've taken photos when the house is ignited through hours of them putting it out. Sometimes I'll actually go through the house, if it's stable enough, after everything is done to take aftermath photos," she said.

Because at times her role as photographer requires her to edge closer to the flames to capture images, Bates is outfitted in full fire gear, but said she is never in any real danger. Although rarely called upon to do more than photograph the activity at a scene, she is trained in CPR and in how to use a defibrillator, and she knows where various tools are located on the truck.

While the number of calls has mounted, Bates remembers clearly her first -- an automobile accident involving four 17-year-old boys. She captured the whole ordeal, which included one fatality, with the help of a brand new camera.

"I was kind of nervous," she said. "There were tons of firefighters surrounding this big hunk of metal against a tree. I couldn't believe it was a car embedded in a tree. It took two hours just to get the driver out. He was conscious and screaming in pain. Sometimes I hear that scream, and it just gives me chills down my spine."

Since then, the nerves have long since turned into a passion for Bates, who estimates participating in 250 to 300 calls. "I love it. It keeps me going," she said.

Before joining the fire company, Bates had taken some photography courses in high school, but she had no other training or experience. She quickly found her footing and her work is gaining attention. Annually, the company's chief selects one individual to receive the Chief's Award for outstanding effort. Bates was last year's winner. Many of her photos have been used in court or in newspapers. In a few instances, the state police has requested her photos for their investigations.

Throughout her experiences, Bates has picked up a few valuable life lessons and insights. Principally, she noted that she has learned to take each day step by step.

"Appreciate everything you have because you never know when your life is going to end. I just look at life a totally different way," she said.

Bates is a middle hitter and a junior captain for the Rosemont volleyball squad. Next season, she will be the Ramblers' lone senior.