Creston Fire celebrates EMS Week, calls for volunteers

This week is the 46th annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week. In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do. This year’s nationwide theme is This Is EMS: Caring for Our Communities.

EMS workers are primarily made up of those working as emergency medical responders such as firefighters and paramedics. This week, to celebrate the work of the EMS responders, Creston Fire is hosting a cookout and open house 5 p.m. Thursday in partnership with UnityPoint Health LifeFlight and Greater Regional Health.

Anyone from the community is welcome to attend, and those interested in learning more about career paths in emergency medical service field is encouraged to attend. LifeFlight is expected to land its helicopter in the green space just north of Creston Fire at 500 N. Sumner Ave. at approximately 5 p.m.

Volunteers

In Creston and its surrounding communities firefighter positions are primarily staffed voluntarily. It is estimated one-third of the U.S. population is tended to by volunteer responders. In Iowa, there are more than 17,000 firefighters, of which approximately 90% are volunteers. Creston Fire is in need of additional volunteers, as they have 18 volunteers serving a population of about 8,000.

“I think our max numbers is around 30, ... but we usually sat and are strong at around 25,” said Creston firefighter/EMT Zack Carstensen. “We’d like to see our department full again, 25 to 30 people would be great.”

Carstensen, who started his career as a medic in U.S. Army joined Creston Fire as a volunteer six years ago after moving from Greenfield to Creston for a laboratory technician position.

“They got me in, showed me the trucks, and showed me around. I met some of the guys and then I decided to give it a shot,” Carstensen said. “There’s something about it. It’s in my blood, I love it, the group guys are great.”

Carstensen transitioned to full-time firefighter two years ago in April.

“All around it’s just a super rewarding thing to do,” he said.

Process

To become a volunteer firefighter, interested individuals must complete an application and background check. A board comprised of three active volunteer and three paid firefighters will review the application and conduct an interview.

“We ask questions and kind of feel you out as a person, how you handle things, your history, why you want to be here,” Carstensen said.

Once the application process is complete, the new recruit attends orientation where they are fitted with gear and learn the history of the department. At that time, the recruit beings Fire I training, a 140-hour class that meets twice a week.

“Once you’re done with that, then you’re on probation and probation is a yearlong process,” said Carstensen. “Once your probation is over you get voted on the volunteers and you’re a full-fledged firefighter.”

Volunteer firefighters are all assigned to a company – Rescue 3, Ladder 1 and Engine 2.

“Once a month you’ll meet with your (company) team leaders (Gary Thompson, Zack Carstensen or Casey Carpenter) and we’ll go over more of the individual basic skills ... hose handling, forcible entry, how to enter through locked doors, and VEIS, vent, enter, isolate, and search,” Carstensen said.”

The department also trains monthly and hosts speciality trainings. This year the firefighters will practice rope and grain bin rescue.

With an average of 800 calls annually, the calls Creston Fire respond to are about 70% medical and 30% fire or accident related. Volunteers are only required to show up to 25% of the fire related calls, which are structure and grass fires, rescues, extrications and motor-vehicle accidents.

Open house and career fair

Creston Fire and Rescue EMS Week celebration will feature apparatus displays, equipment demonstrations, a station tour, meet and greet, grill out and answers to questions from professionals in their respective fields. The open house and career fair is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the fire station, 500 N. Sumner Ave.