Small Town News

Seattle-area firefighter thanks own kind for help

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Eastside Fire & Rescue often receives letters expressing gratitude for its services; very rarely, though, does one of those letters come from a fellow firefighter from another department.

Yet after being tended to by EFR workers who responded to a car accident with his son, that was the exact letter John R. Gillis, a 34-year veteran and battalion chief for the Seattle Fire Department, wrote.

A couple of months ago, Gillis was rear-ended by his son as they were returning home from a two-day, 600-mile motorcycle trip. As described in his letter, his son, Jason Gillis, was "ejected off the front end of his cycle" and suffered an injury to his right thigh. Gillis was lucky enough to escape injury himself. But despite that fact, he was amazed at how quickly the fire and rescue personnel responded and "made his son's injury their first order of business."

"They were exceptional, very supportive, and most importantly, took complete control of the situation," Gillis said.

Jason Gillis, who suffered a leg injury and was taken to the hospital, said that the firefighters at the scene went above and beyond his own expectations.

"They impressed me in the aid car on the way over there, just in how much effort they put in to keeping me off the pain," he said.

This was not John Gillis' first letter of gratitude to a fire department. An earlier accident a few years ago, a T-bone collision with a teenager, left him trapped in his car, forcing him to be removed by fire and rescue crews. He later wrote to the agency, and said that he has felt the need to write letters of gratitude whenever he is confronted by the excellent services of fire and rescue personnel.

"It is definitely rare to be on the other side of the picture," he said.

Yet the mere coincidence of being on the other side provided a valuable experience for the 34-year veteran, who says the actions of the firefighters during his recent accident reinforced values he has aspired to in his career as a firefighter.

"I always look for a fairly principled individual; people who are honest, committed, and have a good work ethic," he said of firefighters.

EFR receives numerous letters on a weekly basis, but according to Fire Chief Lee Soptich, it is always a gratifying experience to receive letters that thank them for their services.

"I think a lot of people don't think twice about it, because it is our job, it's what we are supposed to do," Soptich said. "It's the fact that someone would even take the time to write a letter to us about us doing a good job."

Gillis said he holds the firefighters who aided him in the highest regard, and even included at the end of his letter to EFR that he would be "proud to have any of them under his command."

Jeff Lehman is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.



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© 2010 The Issaquah Press Issaquah, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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