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  Thoughts from the Chief
             Opportunity


    Dear Friends and Neighbors,

            As we once again look forward to Spring and Summer, I’m thinking back to our last newsletter.
    Since that time there has been a lot that has impacted all of us. When I look back, I search to
    understand how all of this has impacted us. We had an incredible amount of snowfall this year and as
    I write this, it is still falling. We’ll end up with about 160 inches. While many of us had a lot of
    heartache over having to shovel and clean driveways, the moisture we received will help to support
    our community and forest in a much needed way.  

            At the State level, government is taking on a new complexion. The fire service in the State has
    been impacted by the removal of the entire Training Division that came out of the State Fire Marshal’s
    Office. It is now a group of volunteers who have their full time jobs, that are picking up the slack for
    training and certification of training. Arizona is now the only state in the Union that does not provide
    firefighter certification through their State Fire Marshal’s Office. While this has a negative impact on
    many levels, it has given us the opportunity to work closer together with our colleagues and to
    strengthen who we are.

            Several months ago, the country of Haiti was devastated by an unprecedented earthquake. We in
    the fire service deal with devastation whether on a small or large level frequently.  We understand that
    bad things are going to happen but when they do, we as humans are given the opportunity to come
    together and solve issues. It has always done my heart good to see how people come together in
    crisis. In this life we are given the opportunity to choose how we are going to deal with challenges. I’
    m so glad to be able to see firsthand how most people come together. When I watch the news on TV,
    it seems like we have very little in common; but in reality, we are so much more similar with each
    other than we are different. While it sometimes takes a crisis for us to understand these dynamics, I
    hope when we get back to our “normal” lives, we are able to take what we learned with us so we can
    speak civilly with each other over our differences. As a nation we are less than 6% of the world’s
    population so it behooves us to make sure we take care of each other.

            On a more personnel note, one of our firefighters had a heart attack a few months ago at a very
    young age. While no one wants to have a heart attack, in this case, it probably saved his life because
    his tests showed that he had an abnormality that could be dealt with. If he was out in the middle of
    the forest when this happened, he wouldn’t be with us today. But it happened within the fire district
    and we were able to provide one of our own with immediate care; and as a result of that, he is back
    to work with us and will be with us until he retires.
      
            My point today in writing this is that we never know when opportunity will present itself and we
    always need to be open to its possibilities. There are bad things that can happen in our lives but as
    they say, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” We hope that this finds you well and ready for an active
    summer. If there’s ever anything we as a fire department can do for you, please give us a call. Thank
    you for your support.

    Don Howard, Chief
Summit Fire District

Fire Departments don't succeed, people do.