Each year, firefighters at the Monroe Fire Department are allowed to vote for which of their coworkers they feel should be nominated for the Firefighter of the Year award. The 2014 awards, which were presented at a banquet in December, included Part-Time Firefighter of the Year, Career Firefighter of the Year and Administrative Employee of the Year. One firefighter was also recognized for his long-term volunteer service.
Snohomish County Fire District No. 3, which protects 55-square miles, including the City of Monroe, is made up of a combination of full-time career firefighter EMTs and paramedics, part-time firefighter EMTs (sometimes referred to as volunteers), administrative personnel and shop employees. They also employ six per-diem staff, which are similar to part-time firefighters but with a set schedule.
In 2014, the department responded to a total of 3,430 calls for service, and participated in numerous community events including National Night Out Against Crime, the Easter Egg hunt at Lake Tye Park, the YMCA's Healthy Kids Day event and the Senior Health Fair at the East County Senior Center.
They perform a food drive every December, and in October, they hold an open house, in conjunction with National Fire Prevention week. The department works to promote fire safety and community engagement through various events during the year, including its "Think AgainGÇ¥ driving safety course for high school students and CPR classes held at the station.
The following Monroe Fire Department first responders were awarded for their service in 2014:
Career Firefighter of the Year GÇô Pete Parrish
Parrish, who has been with the Monroe Fire Department since 2008, has been professionally employed in the fire service since 1996. A paramedic, Parrish lives in Leavenworth with his wife and four children.
Parrish oversees the department's address-sign program, an initiative that began in 2012 to encourage property owners to use address signs furnished by the department. The highly-reflective blue and white address signs are constructed to facilitate the utmost visibility and can be purchased from the department at cost.
Parrish has also taken over responsibility for the department's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) supply room. With a total of five ambulances answering an average nine calls per day, it is critical that the medical supplies are meticulously organized and continuously stocked.
Parrish loves the unpredictability of being a firefighter and a paramedic, and enjoys working for the Monroe Fire Department, because it affords him the opportunity to operate the fire engine, in addition to running medic calls.
Part-Time Volunteer of the Year GÇô Darrell Oswald-á
A longtime Monroe resident, 25-year-old Darrell Oswald has been with the Monroe Fire Department for five years. Oswald got involved in the fire service after being encouraged to participate in a ride-along by a family friend who worked for the department. A couple things stuck out to Oswald after two ride-along experiences: first, the firefighters in Monroe really seemed to love their jobs, and second, they all got along exceptionally well. He also realized that he loved doing things to help people. When he heard that the department was looking to bring on additional part-time staff, he decided to throw his hat in the ring.
"As soon as I started doing it, I just fell in love with it. It's definitely what I want to do,GÇ¥ Oswald said. "It wasn't an aspiration I had initially; it just kind of grew on me. I was in the right spot [at] the right time.GÇ¥
Oswald attended both firefighter training and EMT instruction at an in-house academy at the District No. 26 station in Gold Bar. He is currently trying to obtain a full-time firefighting position.
In addition to being a part-time firefighter, Oswald works at the Monroe Grocery Outlet, where he has been employed for 10 years.
Like Parrish, Oswald loves the unpredictability of being a firefighter.
"It's nice coming to work and not knowing what's going to happen - it's not a desk job. I don't come to work and say, "Oh, I've got to do this paperwork and that paperwork,'GÇ¥ Oswald said. "I come to work and say, "We'll see what happens today.'GÇ¥
Administrative Employee of the Year GÇô Ed Faulds
Fire department volunteer Ed Faulds was honored for his extensive contributions to the department's pre-incident planning program. The 53-year-old volunteers at the department three days a week, working to create a series of digital building schematics for all the high-occupancy structures in Monroe.
(To read Faulds' story, read "Monroe resident honored for exceptional volunteer work,GÇ¥ which ran in the Jan. 20 edition of the Monroe Monitor.)
Longtime Volunteer GÇô Terry Emmel
Recently retired, Terry Emmel was recognized for more than 12 years of volunteer service to the department. Emmel, 48, was motivated to join the fire service after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He said that watching the news and seeing the firefighters running toward the chaos was something that would always stick with him.
Emmel said his favorite part of being a firefighter is helping people. Initially, he loved the opportunity to run into burning buildings, but lately, those types of calls had lost some of their appeal. His appreciation for the medical side of being a firefighter and an EMT remained consistent throughout his career.
"I really love the medical side of it,GÇ¥ Emmel said. "And I love helping people GÇô so that's where my satisfaction comes from.GÇ¥
Emmel teaches CPR classes to the public, and will continue to serve the department in his capacity as an instructor. He will also continue to perform competency-based training for department's EMT staff.
Years-of-Service Acknowledgements
The following firefighters were acknowledged for reaching years-of-service milestones: Pastor Moore, Justin Davison and Darrell Oswald, for five years; Brad Henning, Matt James and Jennifer Pardee, for 10 years; Scott Rybar, Kurt Schneider, Mike Camerer and Brad McLenaghan, for 15 years; and Steve Guptill, Bryan Hunt and Randy Woolery, for 25 years.
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