Fighting fire with passion

Morning means getting ready to run the stairs, repelling from a helicopter or pulling hoses in high sun in full-on gear, and that’s just the physical side.

Classes that ran the gamut of chemistry to physics follow shortly thereafter, helping illustrate the makeup of everything from a chemical fire to the structural instability of a building ready to collapse.

With three months of days like this, the county’s most recent fire department training graduates worked long and hard to quash the antiquated stereotype of men in red rescuing kittens from a tree.

To even make the cut into the academy, this year’s recruit class of seven had to undergo psychological, physical and aptitude tests just to be considered, according to First Deputy Fire Chief John Blalock.

Some 500 applicants yielded the seven candidates, some of whom left careers in fields such as engineering to be drawn to the call of civic duty, like a moth to a flame.

But it wasn’t until they got the green light to show up for class that true work began.

“One of the most challenging parts for me was trying to stay awake reading after all the physical activities,” Kaleo Saiki, 27, a former teacher said, of getting home after a long day only to cap it off by studying.

For former architect Derek Tsunehiro, 36, the challenge was running the stairs, though he said the physical training in general was far more rewarding than any office job.

Before graduating last week, the class underwent three months of rigorous training, which included recognizing fire pattern behavior, as well as resuscitating victims and extracting them from pinned cars and crushed buildings, and how to combat wildland fires.

A pinning-on ceremony ended the training, as graduates of the Kaua‘i Fire Department’s 19th recruit class celebrated Friday before getting scheduled for their first shifts.

While new hires such as Nick Hill, 26, who studied at Oregon State, said he had originally studied athletic administration — he was a coach with sights set on begoming an athletic director — he opted for fire service because of it’s longterm potential, he said.

“It’s a life-long career,” he said. “I learned a lot more through firefighting than I ever imagined.”

Samuel Andrade, 24, a former lifeguard on the East Side of O‘ahu, said the firefighting legacy in his family led him to follow the same path.

“I was surrounded by firefighters,” he said, alluding to his father, a former firefighter who passed away three years ago. Andrade graduated from Kamehameha Schools and received his bachelor’s of arts degree in Hawaiian and Ethnic Studies from the University of Hawai‘i.

Raymond Veeck, 36, a former mechanical engineer, said there was a rush of excitement that went along with the training, as working together means “everybody has a task — and if you make a mistake, it affects everyone else.”

With a hint of nostalgia, Kaden Durkee, 34, said the camaraderie was one of the best aspects of being part of the recruit class.

Sean Kitamura, 31, agreed.

“You’re all working for a common goal,” he said. Kitamura was a Honolulu firefighter for six years, but wanted to return home to serve the Kaua‘i community. He is a graduate of Kapa‘a High School and has a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from the University of Hawai‘i.

Graduate Kaleo Saiki is originally from Moloka‘i and is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education from Linfield College and a master’s degree in education from Williamette University in Oregon.

Graduate Derek Tsunehiro graduated from Kapa‘a High School and has a bachelor’s of arts degree in architecture from the University of Hawai‘i. In addition to fighting fires, he enjoys fishing and diving.

• Amanda C. Gregg, assistant editor/staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or agregg@kauaipubco.com.