Where are you from? I grew up in Illinois, originally in a town called Naperville, Illinois. I moved to Jackson in March of 2020 after living in Cambridge, Massachusetts for like 20 years.

What is your role in the department? Volunteer at Station 7.

How long have you been a part of JH Fire/EMS? Since the fall of 2021.

What made you want to join JH Fire/EMS? It was a way to give back to the community as my kids got a little older. I found it in the newspaper, in the ad, and I was like ‘ok, I could do this.’ It was totally random. I have a very nonphysical career, right? Like I’m an investment analyst. I just wanted to do something a little bit more physical and a little bit more community-oriented that would also help me grow personally. 

What are your current certs? Fire 1, Fire 2, Hazmat, EMR, and Redcard. I’ll be taking the EMT-B class through the department in the Spring. 

What are your future goals in the department? What I’d really like to do is learn how to be an ADO. That’s why I took Fire 2. I’m 47, so my highest use is probably not running up on a VEIS. Realistically, I’m reasonably good at math and stuff, so I thought it would be good to be an ADO and our station is kind of low on ADO’s. So that’s what I’m wanting to do…a more advanced medical certification as well.

What do you do for work? I’m an investment analyst for an investment bank

What do you do in your free time? Umm… a lot. I have 5 dogs, it’s a little weird, and 2 cats and three kids. I’m involved in my kids stuff, like they’re all on sports teams and I go to all of that: basketball, baseball, what have you. So a lot of parenting time and I walk my dogs once or twice a day up Wilson Canyon, that’s kind of what we do. I don’t really do much besides that.

What is your favorite part of volunteering? I actually like the camaraderie a lot. I like working with people that I wouldn’t normally come across in Jackson or in life. So I kind of enjoy the banter. Mechanically, I enjoy the learning, it’s all totally new to me. It allows a growth mindset and allows me to do shit I wouldn’t normally do. That exposure’s cool. I love the learning and the team element of it, the fact that you’re working with people of different backgrounds and experiences. If I would say one thing, I would say I’m extremely impressed by how competent people are. Some of them were green two years ago and they’re good! It’s pretty cool to be around those people. 

Most satisfying or rewarding part? When there’s actually a call that you’re on and you’ve made however marginal a difference, and you’ve done something to contribute to that response. Whether it’s medical or cleaning up the scene after an accident, it’s when you have a direct impact and are representing Jackson Hole Fire/EMS in real life on an actual call. Because, you know, this is our home, this is our community, these are the people who live here and work here, and we represent them. 

What advice would you give new recruits? The advice that I was given early on, which was to just shut up and listen, learn, don’t feel bashful about asking questions or asking for help or asking for extra reps, because people are willing to help you. Try the equipment out, take it out and use it. Turn on a saw. There’s no reason to be bashful. There’s going to be a point in which you’re called upon to actually use it. There’s no shame in the process of learning, so just subjugate yourself to the reality that you don’t know everything. I have been doing the same career for 25 years, I’m not claiming that I’m good at it but I am very competent in what I do, but I joined this thing and I am not confident and not good…it’s very humbling to always be like ‘I don’t know this, I don’t know that.’ The key is to embrace it and just humble yourself and learn. Learn from others around you and don’t be afraid to ask. Over time you’ll get better. Be comfortable being uncomfortable and put in the time and the effort. I’m learning all this new shit in my life right now, like I’m teaching myself guitar, and I just suck. I have to learn how to skin, that’s another thing my wife and I are working on this winter. But it’s like hey, when else are you going to get better? Don’t be intimidated.

What do you wish you had known when starting? I knew this, I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have, but if you do just the training, if you just do the Wednesday nights and you just do the formal trainings, it’s not enough. You have to be proactive. No one’s going to force you to do anything, so if you want to get better, you’re going to have to spend some time at the station, you’re going to have to put in the time, and it’s gonna be extra time. And I recognize that the minimum time to do just the trainings is a huge commitment. Like in Fire Academy, you only do things once or twice at best aside from a triple lay. You know, you do VEIS like maybe twice, you do ladder rescue maybe twice, so if you don’t do it that much…it’s just not enough. The key is that you have to put in the extra time, you can’t do any of this once. That’s something I learned somewhat early: that the training, however impressive, is not enough. 

What is the most valuable trait for someone on JH Fire/EMS? You have to have a team-oriented mindset. It’s not about you, it’s about mission, it’s about role, and so you have to be flexible. You have to be willing to listen, take orders, not go beyond your scope…it’s that whole you’re not in charge thing. It’s a team effort and there’s a leader and a protocol. So having a team mindset, you can’t do it alone, and that requires staying pretty disciplined and focused on what your job is and not going too far beyond that. Don’t play hero ball. It’s a mentality.