You make good money I'd bet and can support that family of yours on your firefighter job. It is a common misconception that you have to fly professionally to enjoy flying, while it is often just the opposite. Spend some time reading on the forum and you'll unfortuantely find that many pilots who fly for a living come to view it as just a job. Once you take that Discovery Flight and find out that you in fact *think* you enjoy flying, why not keep your good paying job and fly recreationally. Fly when you want, where you when, in what you want (for the most part), with whom you want.