6 August 19 - September 1, 20116Growing Our Own at the <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire DepartmentThe <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire Department isexcited to announce the beginning ofour <strong>Community</strong> Member RecruitmentProgram. We are offering <strong>Community</strong>Members interested in a career in thefire service an extraordinary opportunityto gain the training and certificationnecessary to acquire a Fire Fighter/EMT position with the <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> FireDepartmentTo date only twelve communitymembers have been employed with theFire Department. Currently there arethree community members employedout of the 32 full time and 25 part time/reserve staff in the department. Thethree current members are Fire MarshalCecil Peters, Firefighter James Boehmand I, Firefighter Jennifer Rodriguez.This new program will allow ourdepartment to increase our staffingwhile providing <strong>Community</strong> membersinterested in the fire service a path intoa competitive career field that they maynot had received otherwise.The entire Fire Department isdoing their best to promote and ensurethe success of this new program. FireMarshal Cecil Peters, one of the originalfive <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire Department membershas been a long-time advocate for acommunity fire recruit hire programdevoting 25 years of service to the FireDepartment and assisting in its growth.Firefighters James Boehm and Ihave been working on shift as well asvolunteering our personal time to getthe word out to community membersand encouraging them to learn moreFirefighter Brian Poulson prepares to hand out flyers in the <strong>Community</strong> toencourage interest in becoming a recruit with the <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire Department.(submitted photo)about the program to see if this is acareer path that is a fit for them. TheFire Department has diligently workedhard to ensure we have offered thisopportunity to every single communitymember by posting flyers throughoutthe community, handing out informationdoor-to-door, mailing information tocommunity members who reside offthe reservation and actively recruitingat community events. Thus far, theresponse by <strong>Community</strong> members hasbeen phenomenal. We are confidentwe will be able to identify and recruitenough qualified members.The <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire Department heldone meeting Wednesday, August 17,2011, at 6pm, and will hold anothermeeting at the <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire Stationon Saturday, August 20, 2011 from9AM until 1PM for those interested inthe fire recruit program. The meetingsare intended to educate interestedcommunity members with a deeperprospective of what a career in the fireservice entails.On Saturday, we will introducethem to many aspects of the fire service,such as, continuing education, physicalfitness and wellness, communityservice and fire/medical functions. Wewill show a video of a previous firerecruit academy that will be similarto the academy they will attend. Inaddition, we will have firefighter skillstations in place so they may get handson experience on the type of equipmentwe use, and how challenging it could be.They will also gain an understanding ofphysical fitness level needed in order toperform such fire tasks.The <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> <strong>Community</strong> willgreatly benefit from this program inmany ways. The selected recruits willreceive training and certifications thatwill provide them with an opportunityin a rewarding career by serving theircommunity. We hope to provide ahigher level of comfort and publicservice trust throughout the communityby employing community memberswho are knowledgeable in our cultureand Him-Dak. By expanding anddiversifying our department, we willbe able to enhance our services anddevelop stronger relationships withthe people we serve and the people wework with.The recruits selected for theprogram will receive a vast amount oftraining this fall/winter. We will providephysical fitness training in order toprepare them for the professional fireacademy they will be attending atthe Glendale Regional Public SafetyTraining Center (GRPSTC) in Glendale,Arizona, for approximately 13 weeks.The fire recruit training academy istentatively scheduled to be a joint effortwith the City of Peoria Fire Department,who will be sending five fire recruits,the City of Glendale Fire Departmentsending four fire recruits, and <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong>sending nine fire recruits slated for lateOctober 2011. In addition to the firerecruit academy, <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> fire recruitswill be trained in Cardio PulmonaryResuscitation (CPR), EmergencyMedical Technician (EMT), emergencyvehicle operations, hazardous materialsand Wildland Fire Fighter.Fire Chief Michael Long, AssistantFire Chief Donald Garcia and Cityof Glendale Fire Department FireChief Mark Burdick recognized anopportunity to develop a partnershipthat demonstrates a commitment to fireservice regionalism through cooperativeefforts. This unique partnership willallow us to work together, pool ourresources, collectively solve commonproblems, proactively addresspublic safety concerns that affect allcommunities and produce impressiveresults that strengthen both individualcommunities and the region. Ultimately,these joint efforts will lead to a betteruse of resources and service deliveryfor all citizens.“Each member of the <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong>Fire Department makes an importantcontribution towards our goal ofprotecting and preserving lives andproperty in and around <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong>,” saidAssistant Fire Chief Donald Garcia.“We are proud of the men and womenwho make up our team.”The <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Fire Department isthankful that our <strong>Community</strong> Councilis providing us with this opportunity forour department and for the communitymembers. This endeavor would not bepossible without their support, approvaland involvement. We would also like tothank our Secretary Barbara Hawkinsfor mailing out our recruitmentinformation and all the Fire Departmentmembers who have been so helpfulwith their tireless efforts, knowledgeand time ensuring the program is off toa good start.By: Firefighter Jennifer Rodriguez
7 August 19 - September 1, 20117<strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> youth attend 23rd Annual Gila River Youth ConferenceABOVE: <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> youth participate in the thumbs up ice breakerduring the Gila River Youth Conference in Chandler. The conferencebrings together youth from throughout Arizona. BOTTOM LEFT:The <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> young men’s team compete in a 3 on 3 basketball matchup.BOTTOM RIGHT: Waila moment during Friday’s dance.TOP: Holly Antone (left) and Bianka Mata(right) stand outside the conference room wherethe <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Youth Council held a workshop.The workshop was a similar presentation madeat UNITY in Minnesota last month.Youth Council President Dawn Fuentes(right) and Gila River member and UNITYRepresentative Kristen Dosela (left) get readyto make friendship bracelets.Photos submitted by <strong>Ak</strong>-<strong>Chin</strong> Youth CouncilAU 2G 011UST
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