The Big Bear City Fire Department welcomed their two new paid-call firefighters, Tom Morgan and Justin Ploense, during the Board of Directors meeting of the Community Services District on April 20. Fire Chief Jeff Willis also introduced the first three members of the department’s inaugural Apprentice Firefighter Program, which will allow trainees the opportunity to do shift work at the station, while also continuing their education; though full-time employment is not assured after completion of the program, it offers a win-win for both trainees and the department, which will have qualified candidates to draw from when needed. Apprentice firefighters include Roger LaVoire (who has been a PCF with the department since 2005 and is just three months from completing his paramedic schooling), Justin Fluke (who has been with the department for a year) and Robert Whitmore (who joined the team in 2006 and is nearly done with his training as a paramedic). Chief Willis told the CSD Board that he is most proud of the Big Bear City Fire Department’s paid-call firefighter program, which often fields high school graduates who have been a part of Firefighter Bob Barnett’s Firefighter Explorer program—in doing this, notes Willis, the Big Bear City Fire Department is keeping with the Lighthouse Project’s vision for a child-honoring community.
