Don Zimmerman

Profile Information:

Type of Organization

Fire/Rescue Department - Paid

Job Function

Battalion Chief / Division Chief

Years in Fire/EMS:

29

Primary Fire/EMS Department:

Department of Energy Hanford Nuclear Site, Richland, WA

Years With Department/Agency

29 11 w/ Hanford Patrol and 18 w/ Hanford Fire

Other Past or Current Departments and Organizations

Benton County Fire District for 21 years

My Training:

Hanford Fire HazMat Team Coordinator, PSC on T III IMT; SITL on T II IMT, EMTB. Started off at the bottom with the volunteer department. Came into Hanford Fire as a Lieutenant and then have moved up.

About Me:

29 yrs, last 6 as BC Operations, main focus today is to run a shift of 4 stations for 24 hrs, be the IC on most incidents; make sure we all go home at end of shift with all our fingers & toes. Hanford may not have high call volume but it does have potential for exterme high risk.

Day Job:

Cleaning the house, doing the yard; in the winter steelhead fishing.

Relationship Status:

Married

Why I Joined Fire/EMS

At first for the rush, later as a desire to serve, later yet became a job I loved.

Why I Love Fire/EMS

Getting to help people in need of us at their worst moment in time.

Top Issues Facing Responders:

Safety needs to be taken as the top priority each and everytime the apparatus pulls off the ramp, way to many of us are dieing before we get to the scene, to many are dieing before we get to retire; to many of us think we can do it all, when it fact sometimes we need to run away instead.

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