Levy-supported hires build Fire ranks

Before the levy, Gresham’s population had nearly doubled in 30 years, but staffing at the firehouse hadn’t kept up. Today, thanks to levy support, Gresham Fire was able to hire seven new experienced, levy-funded firefighter/paramedics (with more on the way).

They were recruits in Gresham Fire’s first-ever Lateral Fire Academy. What does “lateral” mean? It means they came from other agencies, and with years of professional experience that directly benefits Gresham once they are on the line.  

Academy instructors made the eight-week training tough — even though the recruits were experienced, they wanted to assess their skills and readiness and teach them the Gresham Fire way of doing things. Gresham firefighters stay busy, with some of the highest call volumes in Oregon for comparative cities.  

A large part of each day was spent on the drill grounds, practicing and re-practicing techniques under the watchful guidance of Gresham Fire’s peer instructors: firefighting attacks, victim search and rescue, hose logistics, truck and ladder skills, breathing apparatus, forced entry, physical fitness. "We have a very high expectation of our recruits to be very fast and competent at their jobs,” academy instructor Lt. Mike Snodgrass said. “Our taxpayers deserve to be served at the highest level. And it starts in the academy.” 

Classroom learning is also intense. Recruits learned about Gresham Fire’s high expectations regarding performance, integrity and public service. They learned about department history, gear, fire science, inspections, are more. The written midterm test included 190 questions.  

Recruits choose Gresham because of the department’s strong reputation, high call volume, and the opportunity to focus on specialty areas: water rescue, urban search and rescue, hazardous materials and more. Hear from Fire Recruit Andrew about why he chose Gresham Fire.

The week before graduation is called “Heat Week,” where recruits summon all their skills to battle flames in timed, real-life scenarios. In this exercise, they searched for a downed “victim” on the second floor of this burning structure at the Portland Fire Training Center.  

On graduation day, recruits polished up in uniform but were also transformed in deeper ways: They took their oath as Gresham firefighters, swearing to protect and serve the community, and put their lives on the line when duty calls. These graduates are already on shift and responding to calls — thanks to the levy.

Watch the Fire Academy Class 25-01 graduation video.