Both Anne and I are engineers by training, having graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Anne's a computer engineer at Sun Microsystems. I spent nineteen years writing software for a string of companies in Silicon Valley. I was also a manager, though I prefer doing the work to managing it. At some point I started making art and eventually stumbled upon a media I loved: stone carving. I participated in the Mountain Art Guild for many years and made many lifelong friends there. At this point I'm pseudo-retired and trying to be a full time artist.
As for joining the fire department, shortly after I stopped working I found myself talking to Jaci Viskochil. I thought I might have some time and wondered how I could help the people that gave so much to the community. She surprised me by asking if I wanted to respond to calls. I'd never given that any thought. I'd had no training, and hadn't considered that career as a kid, so it hadn't occurred to me. I started asking questions, but it was clear I was being sucked in. I became a member in August 2005 and I began responding to incidents in June 2006.
The biggest issue causing me to join was wildland fires, where many people are needed to work an incident. So far I still prefer working those to medical aid calls or vehicle accidents, but I'll go to anything, particularly on weekdays when many other department members are at work. I can't think of a favorite call, but I like it when we're canceled or the problem isn't there. Generally that means no one is having a "Really Bad Day" and I appreciate that more than anything. After all, you're my neighbors and friends, and as corny as it sounds I'd rather we were all safe and happy.
As a member of the fire department, I'm learning a lot, and participating in all kinds of activities that I hadn't imagined. My initial training covered structure and wildland fires, hazardous materials incidents, medical aid, and other things. Beyond that I've trained on many other topics, and am constantly refreshing my training on the basics. At the moment I am training to drive our engines. There are also many opportunities to work with the team on things like vehicle and station maintenance, and equipment evaluation and purchase.
I'll be a part of LPVFR as long as I can. It's full of good people whose hearts are in the right place and who make others feel welcome. The work we do is really important to the community - my community - which gives me all the positive feedback I could ask for. If that sounds good to you too, please consider joining us.
When I'm not out on a call, you might find me carving a rock, fencing epee, reading a book, taking care of our property, walking our dogs, or doing any number of other things. You can see my artwork at jrpstonecarver.com, and you're always welcome to email me at jeffp(at)lomaprietafire.org.