Volunteer firefighters achieve state certification
Nine make serious commitment to training, safety, service and community
Seven men and two women recently completed the Firefighter One Academy, and were awarded their Firefighter badges at an hour-long graduation ceremony on June 5th. Clay Bosworth, Ralph Gould, Emmit Hoyl, Liz Pfeffer and Christina Vanderberg of High Country Fire Protection District, Caleb Kropf and Judd Motchan of Colorado Sierra Fire Protection District, and David Femmer of Nederland Fire Department have now attained state firefighter certification. As HCFPD and CSFPD are in the process of merging under the name of Timberline Fire Protection District, this group of graduates was the first to be awarded the new “Timberline” badge. Their families, friends and fellow firefighters looked on as, one by one, each firefighter was pinned with the glimmering gold shield.
It’s no small feat to earn certification in Colorado. To do it, the volunteers put in at least 160 hours (closer to 200) attending a three-hour class two nights a week for three months, and putting in an eight-hour day of training every other weekend during that period. Training included written work, home work, quizzes, exams, practical exercises and, most “interesting” for the volunteers, live-fire exercises at the burn building in Arvada. Other firefighters attending the ceremony described the accomplishment as “huge.”
This year High Country Fire Protection District offered the course in-house and opened it to firefighters of neighboring departments, making it as convenient as they could for volunteer firefighters to get the training. Training Officer Jake Vassar is responsible for the training. In addition to teaching, he organized the program. He was joined by professional instructor Rene Macias from Loveland Fire Department. Vassar said this course differs from training last held at HCFPD in the 1990’s because of new state standards for firefighters. The course is accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress.
Macias was on hand to congratulate and witness the pinning ceremony and, in some cases, pinned a badge personally. In some cases, family members had that honor. Macias thanked those families, noting it was their values, morals and ethics passed on to these volunteers that made them the kind of people who are willing to risk all to help others. Now they were getting to see those ethics play out, he said. Recognizing that three different fire departments were represented by the graduating firefighters, Macias went on to describe some of the experiences they had encountered during training, including 38 evolutions of live-fire training, and how those experiences had forever bonded this group beyond their separate departments. He explained the symbolism of the features on the badge. Using Hoyl’s grandfather’s badge, Macias pointed out the same symbols were there fifty years ago. (Hoyl, like many, is carrying on a family tradition of firefighting and had been given his grandfather’s badge.) “It’s not about the name on your badge,” Macias told them, “It’s about doing the right thing at the right time for your community.”
In addition to their badges, the graduates were awarded “Challenge Coins.” These also identify a firefighter by profession and department, reinforcing their collective bond. Firefighters challenge each other, meaning “Present your coin,” and those who don’t have them in their pockets, owe the challenger some kind of gratuity – at Macias’s department, that’s a beer, he said. Volunteer Chip Smith was awarded a coin, as well. He is a summer resident of Gilpin County who serves while here. He had completed Firefighter One out-of-state. Vassar awarded Macias a coin. Then there were specific awards: the Top Gun Award and the Top Academic Award were both earned by Swenson. Macias explained a score of 70% is required by the state for certification, but he requires 80% to pass his course. The class average for this group, he said, was 98.9%. Several fun and funny awards were given from instructor to firefighter and vice versa, and the instructors were given thank-you gifts.
“I’m very proud to serve with all of them. I wouldn’t hesitate to go into a burning structure with any of them,” Vassar said of the graduates. HCFPD Chief Galen Koepke, acknowledged the firefighters’ skills, adding his respect and appreciation, “This is our front line,” he told the audience, “they stand against all of the disasters that can happen in our community.” Then, turning to the graduates, he added, “The rest of the department, all of the officers, stand behind you.” Macias gave his final directions, “Make us proud in the fire services. Now you are firefighters.”
Certification isn’t mandatory to be a volunteer firefighter in Colorado, but the training has proven its worth in keeping firefighters alive. It’s dangerous work. 34 firefighters have died in the line of duty in Colorado so far this year- the annual death rate is similar to that of police. “Everybody Goes Home” is a firefighting mantra, sometimes seen abbreviated “EGH” on firefighter apparel. With the firefighting and decision-making skills they’ve worked so hard to acquire, these nine volunteers are better able to do the job, and to reach that ultimate goal, EGH.