Best thing about being a firefighter: "You have the ability to affect positive change every day you work, and firefighters do it without any praise whatsoever." Although news reports emphasize fire property damage, "We look at it as, 'What did we save?'"
Worst thing about being a firefighter: "I never had any complaints. The schedule's great. It might be the fact of how much danger and how often the firefighter is in danger and the public is not aware of it."
Best thing about being chief: "I see the ability to enact some changes." Top priorities are getting back to the staffing level before state aid cuts and meeting national fire response standards.
Worst thing about being chief: He has to turn down comedy gigs. "That's the way I de-stress. I don't have time to do that [now]."
STEVE BRANDT
