This will be my last year working for Estacada Fire and serving our citizens as the Fire Chief. As I look back at my career here that began as a firefighter in 1977, I realize that I have been blessed by being able to work in an occupation that I love and to serve a community that has become my home.
There is no occupation as rewarding as one where you can help someone, to be able to take what could very well be their very worst day, and make it better. To have the tools, equipment, and knowledge to save a life or alleviate pain and suffering has always left me with a feeling of accomplishment. I thank the current and past Board of Directors for their vision and commitment to reach and then maintain “state of the art” emergency life saving equipment and continuing education for our fire department members. I appreciate the opportunity to work alongside people who honestly care for their fellow man, many of them volunteers, who juggle as hectic a schedule as many of you, with work, family, and civic responsibilities, and at the same time, answering the call for help, each and every time.
To those I have been summoned to help over the years, I hope I made your day better, and I thank you for allowing me the honor to serve. I truly believe our moments together enriched my life, for there is no better feeling than knowing you made a difference in someone’s life – in a good way.
One of the greatest rewards of a career in the fire service is the respect one gets just for joining. It is one of the few professions in which an individual doesn’t have to immediately earn respect. It’s given to you on the first day you pin the badge on your shirt. We MUST be trusted. We are in peoples’ homes, we know medical histories, we share intimate secrets, we stick needles in them, and we provide drugs (medications)! As a result, when a firefighter does something wrong, it hurts our entire community and occupation. The embezzlement from our department was just that sort of incident which damaged our pride and our confidence. Although the single person responsible for the theft wasn’t a firefighter, she was a fire district employee. I hope citizens remember that this individual acted alone and know those events hurt our entire department. For a very short time in my career I didn’t look forward to coming to work. We did recover most of the money lost and have dedicated that money toward our greatest need, a future fire station. I can assure you the controls we initiated immediately after discovering the theft insure protection of fire district funds.
Many ask about my health and future plans. My health is good, four years after my heart attack and resulting cardiac arrest. Again, thanks for that life saving equipment and training – although I’d still rather be on the “giving” than the “receiving” end of a defibrillator! And, as for future plans, I want to spend time with my family and friends. I thank my family for all the understanding over the years for alarms, meetings, and phone calls in the middle of the night and for those family meals interrupted. I may volunteer at the fire district, after a short break in service; I know the district needs help at all levels, although for me, not as a firefighter – my heart is only in “good” shape. If you want to do some good; both for you, your family, and your community, check out the volunteer opportunities available at Estacada Fire District. If you have the opportunity to serve, you’ll never be sorry you did!