The intern journalist did several ride-alongs with firefighters to learn about their daily work.

ride-alongs 是由动词 ride（乘坐）和副词 along（一起）组成的复合名词，中间用连字符连接。字面意思是"一起乘车"，特指"跟随专业人员（如警察、消防员等）一起出勤以观察学习"的工作方式。