Woodbury firefighters at work

As the department promotes awareness during October’s fire prevention month, its leaders are planning for the city’s future growth. All the department’s full-time firefighters are cross-trained as either paramedics or police officers within the division and many are cross-trained across facets of the larger public safety department. There are firefighters who are also paramedics, police officers who are paramedics, and police officers who are firefighters. Wallgren credits the success of the integrated department to his team members. “The only reason it works is because of our staff; we’ve got great people that are willing,” he says.About a dozen of the firefighters are full-time employees of the city, work day hours and are available instantly when a call comes in. The remainder are paid-on-call firefighters who all live within four minutes of a fire station, the majority of whom work a different job during the day but rush to the station after hours to respond to emergencies.There is no particularly busy time of the day for Woodbury firefighters; Wallgren says calls tend to come in steadily no matter what the hour. “I know what it’s like to run away from the table; I’ve been doing it for 23 years,” he says. “When I talk with younger people raising their kids and [firefighting)] is a part of their lives, they cannot be successful without the support of their spouse and their kids.Curt StarkenPaid-On-Call FirefighterFirefighter with Woodbury for 18 yearsCurt Starken was just a freshman in college when a young girl collapsed in front of him in the hallway and he tried to resuscitate her using CPR. Though she died of a brain aneurysm and the EMTs assured him he did everything he possibly could have to save her, he says he always felt like he wished he could have done more. That life-changing moment spurred Starken, who’d taken CPR in high school, to do just that.By day, Starken works as the operations manager at Multi-Clean, a janitorial and chemical-supply company. When he’s not at work, he’s on-call saving lives. He first started with the department when he responded to an ad for firefighter EMTs. He was most interested in the medical position but quickly got hooked on firefighting. “It becomes a passion,” he says. “I know I’m contributing to the community I live in.”Starken says firefighters cross-train on the equipment because they never know what combination of personnel will be responding to a call. He’s held a number of different positions in the department and has gone on to receive specialized training including as a certified pump operator. Each time he heads to a call he plays a different role on the scene; his tasks can vary from driving the truck to manning the nozzle.Katie CaffertyPaid-On-Call Part Time Firefighter/ParamedicFirefighter for Woodbury for 16 yearsWhen Katie Cafferty moved to Woodbury, she began looking for a medic job and found one available with the Woodbury public safety department. “It just kind of gets in your blood; it’s addicting,” Cafferty says.She loves the sense of team and says she feels a sense of pride and accomplishment when she sees one of the engines or medics responding to a call for help even if she’s not on-call at the time. For her, the job is about the cycle of life, and she takes refuge in the fact that she can provide a bit of calm to a family facing tragedy—words of reassurance that everything possible was done when a person experiences the death of a loved one, and words of encouragement and warmth when a call ends well.“We’re going out to help someone—it’s (often) their worst day,” she says. “In one shift I can deliver a baby and have a cardiac arrest end a life.”If anything, Cafferty says, the job is never the same twice and the varied outcomes have taught her to make the most of every all-too-fleeting moment. Even though there may be rough days, she says she’s an optimist. “I know I did the best for that person or that family and in the end, maybe made it easier for them,” she says.John WallgrenFire CommanderFirefighter with Woodbury for 23 yearsJohn Wallgren says he’s one of those guys who always dreamed of being a firefighter as a kid and he’s spent his lifetime making it a reality. Wallgren retired from 22 years active duty as a firefighter in the Minnesota Air National Guard at the Minneapolis airport and has spent the last 23 years serving as a firefighter for the city of Woodbury. “I made a comment the other day to my wife—it was a good day because I got to help people,” he says. “Most of us who do this have a desire to help people and I get great personal satisfaction out of that.”As a young boy, 8 or 9-years-old, Wallgren says he remembers fire medics coming to help his dad when he had a heart attack. That’s what he believes pushed him to pursue his dream. He says the good days outweigh the bad, and looking to the future is the only way to get through a tough call. “The only way you can overcome it is knowing you might be able to make a difference in the outcome next time,” he says. “When people call for our help and we get there and are able to deliver, it’s pretty cool.”Adopt a Fire HydrantCity leaders are asking for the help of area residents in shovelling out the 3,000 fire hydrants spread throughout the city. Through its hydrant hero program, the department recognizes individuals and families who “adopt” a hydrant by posting their photo on the department’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. Residents self-nominate for the honor by snapping a picture of themselves by their hydrant.Though the program is fun and light-hearted, fire commander John Wallgren says there’s a very important purpose behind the effort. “A fire doubles every minute in size,” Wallgren says. “If we have to spend three or four minutes shoveling it out….it all takes time.”Ideally, Wallgren says, the hydrant would be shoveled out three-feet in all directions to allow the firefighters to easily pull up and connect the hose. He puts the onus on the entire neighborhood, not just the nearest homeowner, and he reminds residents that each cul-de-sac has two hydrants, one in the circle and one on the incoming street.  “It’s a neighborhood effort to keep hydrants clear,” he says.Residents who want to be recognized for their shoveling efforts can email their photo along with their name(s) and the location of the hydrant to info@ci.woodbury.mn.us.Get InvolvedThe fire department accepts applications year-round from those interested in becoming firefighters. Applicants must live within four minutes of a Woodbury fire station, have a clean driving record and no arrests. The interview process includes a health screening physical where participants dress in firefighter gear and perform a series of tests.  For more information on joining the department, go to ci.woodbury.mn.us/fire-department.