Interview with cpt. randy black
Where did you go to school and what did you study? I graduated from Fort Lewis College with a BA in Psychology. I started in the fire service in 1990, at Animas Fire Protection District in Durango. I obtained my firefighting skills and training through the department. I took my EMT-Basic and EMT-Intermediate class through the San Juan Basin Vo-Tech School, located in Mancos, but the classes were in Durango. I attended Paramedic School in Denver, at Health One EMS, a subsidiary of Swedish Hospital.
Why did you choose to go there? I chose to go to Fort Lewis College because I loved this part of the state. I lived in Pagosa Springs growing up, then moved to the Denver area to finish school. I wanted to get back to this part of the state, and didn’t have a major chosen at the time.
When did you decide that you wanted to do this for a living? My mom, (Molly’s Grandmother) worked on the ambulance when we lived in Pagosa Springs. When I was going through college, my interest started turning towards fire and EMS. I took a wildland firefighting class, and during the training, a firefighter with Animas recruited me. I have been doing it ever since.
What major hardships have you faced in this career process and how did you get through them? Finding a job was the first hardship. When I graduated from Paramedic School, Durango (Mercy Medical Center Paramedics at the time) had no openings. I was looking at moving to Greeley where I had a job offer, when a job opened in Farmington, with the San Juan Regional EMS. I worked in Farmington for 10 years before transferring to Durango Fire Rescue in 2002. The second hardship to overcome was the schedule. Emergency Services has no holidays, no weekends, etc. Someone is on duty 24/7/365. I have worked on Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, other special events, and that was not always very popular with the family!
If you weren’t doing this as a job right now, what would you see yourself doing? Very good question. As with anyone who has been in the same line of work for over 20 years, I have often thought of what else I would do. I haven’t ever come up with anything! The closest thing I can come up with is taking a safety job with the oil field industry.
What do you love about your current job and what would you change about it? I love the excitement, helping people out, you never have the same day twice, and the impact you have on people’s lives. I probably wouldn’t change anything because I’ve come to accept the job with its plusses and minuses, and you have that with any job.
What do you find most difficult about your job? Dealing with the tragedy. Dealing with people who are badly injured or killed due to an accident or other traumatic event is horrible. It’s horrible for the patient’s family and for the emergency workers. You never get over it.
Do you have any professional goals for the future? I am currently preparing for a promotional exam for the position of Battalion Chief. The process is in May to see who gets the job. The Battalion Chief oversees the entire shift and all calls that happen for the shift they work.
What advice would you give someone who would like to choose this as a profession? Go to school. Get your degree first, then find a job. It can be very difficult to find a job in the Fire and EMS field, there are departments that have hundreds of applicants per job opening. If you think this is the job for you, be persistent and keep trying. But make sure this is what you want to do…volunteer, join up, help out, learn what the job is about and what you want before you commit to it.
Why did you choose to go there? I chose to go to Fort Lewis College because I loved this part of the state. I lived in Pagosa Springs growing up, then moved to the Denver area to finish school. I wanted to get back to this part of the state, and didn’t have a major chosen at the time.
When did you decide that you wanted to do this for a living? My mom, (Molly’s Grandmother) worked on the ambulance when we lived in Pagosa Springs. When I was going through college, my interest started turning towards fire and EMS. I took a wildland firefighting class, and during the training, a firefighter with Animas recruited me. I have been doing it ever since.
What major hardships have you faced in this career process and how did you get through them? Finding a job was the first hardship. When I graduated from Paramedic School, Durango (Mercy Medical Center Paramedics at the time) had no openings. I was looking at moving to Greeley where I had a job offer, when a job opened in Farmington, with the San Juan Regional EMS. I worked in Farmington for 10 years before transferring to Durango Fire Rescue in 2002. The second hardship to overcome was the schedule. Emergency Services has no holidays, no weekends, etc. Someone is on duty 24/7/365. I have worked on Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, other special events, and that was not always very popular with the family!
If you weren’t doing this as a job right now, what would you see yourself doing? Very good question. As with anyone who has been in the same line of work for over 20 years, I have often thought of what else I would do. I haven’t ever come up with anything! The closest thing I can come up with is taking a safety job with the oil field industry.
What do you love about your current job and what would you change about it? I love the excitement, helping people out, you never have the same day twice, and the impact you have on people’s lives. I probably wouldn’t change anything because I’ve come to accept the job with its plusses and minuses, and you have that with any job.
What do you find most difficult about your job? Dealing with the tragedy. Dealing with people who are badly injured or killed due to an accident or other traumatic event is horrible. It’s horrible for the patient’s family and for the emergency workers. You never get over it.
Do you have any professional goals for the future? I am currently preparing for a promotional exam for the position of Battalion Chief. The process is in May to see who gets the job. The Battalion Chief oversees the entire shift and all calls that happen for the shift they work.
What advice would you give someone who would like to choose this as a profession? Go to school. Get your degree first, then find a job. It can be very difficult to find a job in the Fire and EMS field, there are departments that have hundreds of applicants per job opening. If you think this is the job for you, be persistent and keep trying. But make sure this is what you want to do…volunteer, join up, help out, learn what the job is about and what you want before you commit to it.