Falcon Fire Protection District volunteer firefighter Lt. Tom Resha wants the community to know that being a firefighter is above all else ñ fun. Anyone who has ever watched the FX TV program, “Rescue Me,” knows that life inside a fire station is anything but boring. While there is the occasional frat boys high jinks, professionalism takes over when the siren rings.”It really is fun, but itís also demanding, physically and mentally challenging and a great way to give back to the community,” Resha said. “You always show up on what is perhaps a personís worst day and try to make it better for them. What could be more gratifying than that?”Resha, a native of Alabama, spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He and his wife, Sarah, moved from Colorado Springs to Falcon about six years ago. Resha has three adult children ñ two boys who live in Alabama and his daughter, who lives here.He is the lieutenant in charge of FFPD station No. 2, which is located at the intersection of Murphy and Meridian roads at the north end of the district. Station 2 is an unmanned building that houses an urban interface engine, a 4×4 fire truck that can handle dirt roads and narrow driveways, which are typical of the north end of the district. Also at the station is a brush truck to handle wild fires and a water truck.The district consists of 166 square miles with few fire hydrants, so the FFPD must bring its own water on calls, Resha said. There is a crew of nine who work out of station No. 2, and half of them are volunteers.Resha joined the FFPD as a volunteer right after moving to Falcon. He went through what is now called the “Rookie Academy” ñ a grueling nine months of training that includes firefighting, hazardous materials, emergency vehicle operations and wild land firefighting. A volunteer must have the same training as a paid firefighter and be certified both as a firefighter 1 and emergency medical technician.Resha is passionate about volunteering. “We need volunteers who live out here desperately,” he said. “Our district is so large, and we respond to everything from medical calls to water leaks to fires.”And, or course, there is animal rescue. Resha recalled the time he responded to a frantic woman who called saying her carbon dioxide detector was going off. Her home was filled with carbon dioxide, and her beloved pet bird was left inside the home on a lower floor. “I found the cage and saved the bird,” Resha said. His daughter, who also was a volunteer, once saved a cat.There are two types of volunteers, he said: those who want to start a career, usually young people, and those who are working in careers or retired and want to give back to their communities on their own time. Anyone who has his or her basic certifications of FF1 and EMT can be brought on at anytime. “Those folks are called lateral transfers, and they are always welcomed into our family,” Resha said.He also is adamant about the family atmosphere among the firefighters. “We truly are brothers whose lives can literally depend on each other,” Resha said. “It gets into your blood.”While Resha admitted that the department is filled with testosterone that doesnít mean they wouldnít welcome women. “We need women on our crews,” he said.When not recruiting volunteers or responding to calls for the FFPD, Resha is director of operations for Rhino Corps, a high technology firm that mainly does business mainly with the Department of Defense and government contractors. He also enjoys spending time with his kids and climbing “14ers” with his wife.If you live in the area, carry a FF1 and EMT certifications and are an adrenaline junkie who can devote 20 to 30 hours a month as a volunteer, Resha would like to talk to you. Call him directly at 495-7969.
