November 20, 2000
UCSC Fire Department bolsters force
By Jennifer McNulty
Todd Meyer has wanted to be a firefighter as long as he can remember. Now, the burly
30-year-old from Bonny Doon can claim his own bunk at UCSC's Fire Station.
 |
| The newest members of UCSC's Fire Department are (l-r): Ron Esche, Todd Meyer, Zane Brown, and Coleen Ulrich. Photo: Jennifer McNulty |
| Every day is different for UCSC firefighters (related story) |
Meyer and his colleagues Zane Brown, Ron Esche, and Coleen Ulrich joined the department as permanent, full-time employees in October. For each of them, the job is not only a dream come true, it represents a triumph against incredible odds: At least 1,000 Fire Academy graduates typically vie for every job opening these days. The competition includes a written examination, physical agility testing, and, with luck, an oral interview.
All four had extensive volunteer firefighting experience, and three had worked with the California Department of Forestry fighting seasonal wildfires.
Brown, who grew up in the small Sonoma County town of Occidental, worked his way up to acting captain with the all-volunteer Occidental Fire Department. His father and uncle were both firefighters before him. Esche, too, is the son of a firefighter, while Ulrich caught the bug nine years ago from her exhusband, who volunteered with the Bonny Doon Fire Department.
One of the big challenges of being a career firefighter is surrendering to the schedule. Each member of the UCSC department works a 24-hour shift, has a day off, works another 24-hour shift, has a day off, works a final 24-hour shift and then gets four days off. Working on holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries is part of the job, and the schedule supersedes attending school plays, recitals, and family reunions.
But the rewards of a career in firefighting are many. A certain fourth-grader at Bonny Doon Elementary School idolizes Ulrich, who coordinates the fire-prevention program for the school. No two days are alike, said Esche. And there is infinite satisfaction in a job that every day entails helping people and literally saving lives.
"I had a boy from the school tell me that my words came back to him when his Halloween costume caught fire," recalled Ulrich. "He remembered what I'd taught them about 'Stop, drop, and roll.' That was great. For me, if I can save one child's life, it has all been worth it."
The new hires also help the department meet new state regulations that require a minimum of four firefighters on the scene of a structural fire before two can enter the building. The new "two in, two out" rule, adopted by California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA), was designed to protect firefighters by ensuring that a backup team would be available to conduct a rescue, if necessary, explained Hernandez.
Since 1993, the department has operated with only three firefighters per shift, and sometimes two, depending on illness and vacation schedules, said Hernandez, who was appointed chief in 1994.
Although current higher staffing levels enhance firefighter protection, Hernandez hopes to hire two additional firefighters in the next two years.
For Captain Mike Quinton, the allure of firefighting has not worn off. "When I was 24, I realized that this is what I've always wanted to do," he said. "I'm 53 now, and I really enjoy helping people. In an emergency, when everything is chaos, I get to help bring things back as near as possible to normal for people's lives."
With luck, UCSC's four new firefighters will be saying the same thing 30 years from now.
