2017 DEC PASO Magazine

The ambulance is under county
contract and covers about
1,000 square miles. Thus it
may not be sitting idly and
waiting to go. 65% of calls are
medical emergencies; thankfully,
only 7% are fires and 12% are
incidents such as a fall in the
home.
Paso has four fire engines,
a ladder truck, a heavy-rescue
vehicle and an aircraft rescue
vehicle stationed at the airport.
There are 26 total employees in
the department of which fifteen
are both firefighters and paramedics
and six more are Fire
Captains.
Over the next few months,
Jonathan has to recommend
three who will become battalion
chiefs while maintaining
a goal of 90% response within
six minutes. He’s also been
charted with a 2-year goal of
staffing a squad to handle the
increase in calls from a growing
community with loads of visi-
tors, stick to a tight fiscal budget,
and maintain the needs of
the community’s protection.
If there is a moment left in
his day, working on the five-year
plan of an additionally-staffed
new firehouse out on 46 East
someplace, is also on the list.
Only one word fits: YIKES!
Jonathan is a ‘’look-ya-inthe-eye”
kinda guy with a very
full plate. It takes only a millisecond
to realize his passion for
the job he swore to uphold and
the protection of our fellow residents.
He’s exactly the way Mr.
Frutchy described him at the
swearing-in ceremony.
At home, he and his wife have
two children and they are deep
into horse events as family activity.
Somewhere down the list,
“sleep” gets mentioned.
Chief Jonathan, thank you for
doing for us what we ourselves
can not. Best of luck and safety
to you and your entire organization!
DISPATCHER from page 18
where her family was at that time.
Her dad heard there was an opening
as a dispatcher in town and
suggested she look into it. Kate
was hired, and became a dispatcher
in Bellingham for nine years! Her
experience spread as she did special
work for the local S.W.A.T.,
became a training officer for new
dispatchers, and saw extraordinary
challenges during the Winter
Olympics.
Ms. McKinley is a family-oriented
woman and when her father
took a position in Surprise, AZ,
Kate thought, “Why not? I like to
be near family.”
Off she went, and spent over
three years being a dispatcher in
that city of over 130,000 residents.
Meanwhile, Kate had two children
but still hadn’t found her “Forever
town.” That is until she got a call to
“Come on over!”
The ‘over to where?’ was Paso
and it didn’t take any time at all for
her to say, “Yup, this is gonna be it.”
That was in February of this year
and from my interview session, I’d
say Kate’s here for the long haul!
Here are a few of the reasons I
came to that conclusion.
Kate said, “Once I started this
career, I’ve never looked back on
my finance and marketing aspirations
and wondered ‘what-if.’
I love this work! Paso has character;
it’s such a unique place;
this is my forever-town with a
great size and while the work can
be emotionally draining, there
is so much to do here. The people
I’ve met are just beyond super
and supportive. This career helps
me compartmentalize my life and
when I’m at work, I can really stay
focused. The balance is splendid.
Evolving technology for dispatchers
and the ability to get rapid help
to the residents where it’s needed
are always exciting. It’s tremendous
to get a call about, say, graffiti
and know we have the team of volunteer
graffiti cleaners who make
it go away, right away. More importantly,
knowing that I played a
part in ending a serious situation is
always an upper. I’m still learning
my way around town and I’d love
to teach piano lessons but all that
will unfold as it’s meant to be.”
Good luck, Kate. Welcome
home and we’re glad you’re here.
December 2017, PASO Magazine 21