East County Fireplace and Rescue’s new chief has been a firefighter for twenty years, however he views himself as a instructor as a lot as anything.
Fireplace district commissioners employed Steve Black, a veteran firefighter with in depth instructing and coaching expertise, because the district’s new hearth chief. He’ll exchange Ed Hartin, who’s retiring efficient Dec. 31. Black will start his new job mid-January.
“One thing I’ve always been, in the fire service or outside the fire service, is an instructor or a teacher,” Black mentioned. “One of my favorite things to this day is when I see (my students) helping each other out, teaching themselves, and I’m not even saying anything. I can see them sort of starting to evolve, and I absolutely love it.”
Commissioners interviewed three candidates for the chief place in October.
Black and one different candidate “were very close, well-qualified and highly recommended by both their current supervisors and the firefighters that they supervise,” fee Chair Joshua Seeds mentioned.
“I was absolutely thrilled,” Black mentioned. “I said during my interview that from the time I walked in the doors at the station, I felt at home.”
Since October 2021, Black has served as a division coaching chief for Forest Grove, Ore., Fireplace and Rescue, which gives hearth, emergency medical and rescue response to about 35,000 residents.
“In the recruitment and retention area, I do the hiring processes for the departments. And within the safety area, I work as the safety officer, a liaison to the city’s safety committees,” Black mentioned.
Black, who additionally works as a contract teacher for Maryland-based Nationwide Fireplace Academy, the USA’ preeminent federal hearth coaching and schooling establishment, and as a fireplace teacher at Portland Neighborhood Faculty, mentioned he’s desirous to convey his expertise to ECFR.
“I really think that one of the keys to a healthy fire department is training, so I think that my experience will translate,” he mentioned.
Black, a local of Ontario, Canada, determined to get into firefighting shortly after shifting to Oregon in 2001.
“I had always kind of thought about the fire service, but I wasn’t sure. A volunteering opportunity opened up at Cornelius, Ore., and I got hooked; I just absolutely loved it. I could just not see myself ever doing anything but that,” he mentioned.
Black served as a volunteer firefighter for the Cornelius Fireplace Division for 2 years, earned full-time standing in 2004, and labored his approach up the ranks to the captain place. From 2010 to 2021, he served as a coaching officer.
“One of my favorite aspects of this job is you never know what you’re going to do on any particular day of the week. You could come in and think, ‘OK, today I’ve got a bunch of stuff I’m going to knock out by sitting at my desk,’ ” he mentioned. “And half an hour later, you’re at someone’s house that’s on fire to help that family and prevent them from losing any more. It’s really dynamic.”
The company, which gives hearth and emergency medical providers to about 10,500 folks in a 60-square-mile space north of Camas and Washougal, consists of full-time, part-time and volunteer firefighters, and responds to a mean of 1,100 calls a yr.
“I think the first thing for me is to really look and listen and learn,” Black mentioned. “I don’t want to go in with a bunch of preconceived ideas.”
Black added that he welcomes suggestions.
“I think my philosophy is that we’re all on the same team,” he mentioned. “Yes, we have different levels of responsibility, but we’re all trying to do the best thing possible for the organization.”