Al Pimentel, Firefighter Paramedic
Al Pimentel sees his job at TVF&R as an opportunity
to inspire others to join the fire service. He was
offered a position in 2002 after working
for years as a reserve firefighter in Hermosa Beach,
California. “I took fifteen tests at different fire
departments over a period of six years,” Pimentel
says, “when TVF&R offered me a job I jumped at the
chance to move to Oregon.” “Firefighting is an
outstanding career,” says Pimentel, “but I don’t
think a lot of other Latinos know that getting a job
as a firefighter is an attainable goal.” Pimentel
was recruited by another Latino firefighter at
TVF&R. “I feel a responsibility to encourage other
Latino men and women to consider a career in the
fire service, “ Pimentel says, “when I’m out in the
community I try to spread the message to as many
people as possible.” When Pimentel isn’t responding
to medical calls and fires, he’s often out in the
community working as a member of TVF&R’s Safety
Education Team, which spreads the fire safety
message to schools and other organizations. Because Pimentel is bilingual,
he often reaches out to members of the local Spanish
speaking community. He has even appeared in several
safety-related segments on Portland’s Spanish
language Univision news program.
During his eight years at TVF&R, Pimentel has been based out of fire stations in Beaverton, Sherwood and Tigard. “I love being a firefighter, ” Pimentel says, “it’s an opportunity to help people when they need it the most. I hope I’m able to make a difference in a time of crisis and be a calming presence.”
April Frezza - I.T. Manager
April Frezza came to work at TVFR in early 2006 as a Senior Systems Administrator. She brought more than ten years experience in the Information Technology (IT) field. About a year later she was promoted to IT Manager for the District.
April’s first job in computers, after graduating from PCC with a degree in business with an emphasis on computers was with a high-tech company headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, she was offered the opportunity to work for a local discount stock brokerage firm that was just starting to explore the world of on-line trading. Looking back, April believes that she was fortunate that her first mentor in information technology was generous in teaching her and willing to trust her to solve problems on her own. That experience has influenced her working and management styles throughout her career.
April says that working for a stock brokerage was great training for the fire service. It was critical to the company and its customers that computer systems were working all of the time. Without access to the trading system and the market, neither the firm’s professional brokers nor its “do it yourself” on-line clients could participate in the trading that they wanted and needed to do. “If the system went down, there was intense pressure to get it back up, and the people I worked with were not shy about expressing their frustration in no uncertain terms,” says April.
She realizes now that she was receiving good training for the expectations of 24/7 operability that fire departments demand. “There’s a big difference, here at TVFR, though,” April told us. “I am always impressed by the respect shown for our IT department and the organization’s trust that I and my team are doing all that we can to solve the problem at hand.” April said that organizational empathy for the challenges that IT departments face is expressed through both patience and the willingness of the organization to provide the resources needed to do the job.
April left the stock brokerage after it was bought out by a large national company and her job was eliminated. After a period of battery recharging, she had begun looking for a new position when she saw the Systems Administrator position advertised by TVFR. “It was exactly what I wanted. There was a great variety of job duties and responsibilities.” Once she came to work for the District, she began to get to know the other members of the IT team. “The fact that several of my colleagues had been with the District for so long and had such skill in their areas of expertise said a lot about the District to me,” recalls April.
Not too long after coming to work with the District, the IT Manager position came open, and April was given the opportunity to apply for it based upon the support she received from the Division Chief then in charge of the IT department. Women working in IT in general and in management positions in the field are not real common, but April says that at TVFR she has experienced support and acceptance of her in that role from both her colleagues and senior management. When asked what she has come to appreciate most about the District, she answers without hesitation. “It is the incredible empathy and support that this organization shows for its employees. Whether you are talking about an organizational crisis or a personal one, this place steps up to take care of its people. I still am amazed by it.”
April had to get back to work on the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that the District is implementing to better integrate the currently separate silos of information management that blocks the efficient coordination of work between the District’s various departments. With a staff that now totals nine IT professionals, April is confident that her team will be equal to the task.
Jeff Lee, Deputy Fire Marshal
Jeff came to the District in 2006 after working about 14 years with the Corvallis
Fire Department, 11 of which was in the role of Fire Prevention Assistant. Jeff
notes that he had an interest in the fire service as long as he can remember. He
recalls childhood visits to family members in San Francisco who happened to live
next to a fire station. “The lights and sirens drew me in,” he states. Jeff was
a Safety Studies major at Oregon State University. As part of that program, he completed
an internship with Portland Fire and Rescue over the course of a summer. This gave
him several opportunities to do ride-a-longs with crews, which only confirmed his
desire to be a part of the fire service. Upon graduating from OSU, Jeff completed
the EMT program at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. With his EMT-Intermediate
certification, he began volunteering with Corvallis Fire, his hometown department.
He tested successfully with Corvallis Fire and began line firefighting with that
department.
“I did a lot of engine company inspections, and found I really enjoyed that aspect of the job,” Jeff recalls. He notes that he found doing inspections used a skill set better matched to his interests. “And, I didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night,” he adds. While still living in Corvallis, Jeff jumped at the opportunity with TVF&R when it became available. Jeff was one of several candidates who tested for the newly created Fire Inspector position at TVF&R.
When asked what aspects of Prevention he finds attractive, Jeff notes that in the course of his day-to-day work, “I get to meet interesting people and learn about how things are manufactured. It’s like a field trip every day!” Jeff remarks that he enjoys being part of a great team. “I really have a terrific group of co-workers,” he states.
Working in Prevention is not without its challenges, Jeff notes. “I sometimes return to a business owner three or four times to follow up on a violation, and might not see any change but instead get excuses.” That’s when the skills of flexibility, customer service and decisiveness must converge. Jeff notes that the size of TVF&R is both a blessing and a challenge. While the District’s size offers a number of specialties not found at smaller departments, it also includes a large number of jurisdictions within its service-area boundaries. “You have to develop relationships with officials from all of those jurisdictions.”
Jeff appreciates how his firefighter background has aided his work as a Fire Inspector. “Knowing how a fire reacts and burns has really helped me appreciate the consequences of violations. It’s given me some insight into the way codes are written the way they are.”