(ABC News)

ABC News' John Schriffen reports:

When most people see a fire raging out of control, they run the other way. But firefighter Scott Ziegler takes it head on.

Ziegler filmed his day job for a full year with a camera mounted on his helmet, showing one fire after another. He works in Highland Park, Mich., near Detroit, where there are a lot of abandoned buildings. His videos give a rare look at what it means to be a firefighter.

"Every fire is different, so you never know what you're going to pull up to, and you got a lot of nerves," he said.

Ziegler, 27, has been a firefighter for nine years. Since he was a teenager, he has been inspired by his friend's father.

Ziegler's department and others around the country are being forced to fight more fires with fewer resources. He shot the videos to show people what it's really like inside a burning building.

"It's very dangerous," he said. "So if they take anything away from it, maybe they know a firefighter or maybe the town they live in is talking about cutting their funding, maybe they can take a look at that video and think, 'Well, those guys do a pretty dangerous job, it seems to be they might need more people than less.'"

Ziegler said it is crucial for people to plan for the risk of a fire.

"People should have floor plans of their house, you know, teach your kids if your house catches on fire, run drills and teach them how to get to the door with their eyes closed so they can get out of that house and not worry about anything else," he said.

ABC News' Sarah Netter contributed to this report.