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.

Comment Wall:

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  • TamThompson

    Hi Don, thanks for the response, I understand you're busy! I'm at Week 12 in Fire Academy, and will graduate Certified Basic Structural for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection on November 17th, God willing and the creek don't rise!

    The good news on TKA's is that if we work out zealously every week and keep up rock-hard quads (and hamstrings), and stretch, we should be able to lessen the pain (according to a whole buncha forum posts I've seen, plus what the orthopedics say.)

    The downside is that TKA's are known to be less "effective" on us younger, more active folks (and by younger, they mean under 65.)

    So let's keep after it, and I hope you're having a great month!

    Best regards,
    Tam

    Oct 8, 2009

  • lisa

    hey don.
    been along time everything ok?

    Jan 20, 2010

  • Scott Luedtke

    Hi Don, glad to see you had such a good outcome with your TKR. I had a bi-lateral TKR in Dec 09 and am looking froward to returning to duty being much better than before. I wanted to know if you had any problems with NFPA 1582 and its classification of a joint replacement as a category 1 medical condition thereby de-certifying a person from active firefighting. My chief found out about this when one of our Captains had a stent put in (post heart attack) and it was classified as such and he was (forced) medically retired. Also, was there any restrictions placed on your performance by the doctors and what did you have to do to overcome them. Thank you, Scott Luedtke

    Mar 1, 2010