Above and beyond
CES's community outreach receives special recognition
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CES Chaplain Keith Randall received the Chaplain of the Year award from the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains Ministries.
Photo by M. Scott Moon
Harry Belafonte rang out over a crowd of pre-schoolers at the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's Head Start program on a gray Wednesday morning, but the tally man didn't make an appearance. Instead a brown dog in a Hawaiian shirt and mirrored shades howled "stayyyy low" while other canines provided backup to teach kids how to exit a burning building.
Gary Hale, Fire Marshal for Central Emergency Services (CES), donned his boots, fire pants and helmet to deliver a message of fire prevention to the Head Start students at the Kenaitze Indian Tribe. Coming with him to add color to his message, more than 70 puppets and their handlers sang oldies but goodies with altered lyrics not only to entertain the kids, but to make sure they talk to their parents about fire prevention.
"The biggest problem is finding upbeat music," Hale said. "We hit all the senior centers, the public and private schools, the day-care facilities and Frontier Community Services."
Above, Central Emergency Services Fire Marshal Gary Hale applauds a crowd of youngsters at Frontier Community Services following a fire safety presentation utilizing the department's Fire Buster Puppets on Friday morning. Hale received the state's Public Fire Educator of the Year award earlier this month. Photo by M. Scott Moon
Photo by M. Scott Moon
Keith Randall's job takes him out in the community as well, though in a different capacity than Hale. Volunteering as CES's chaplain, Randall is a presence at many family emergencies the department has been called to. Randall's skills as senior pastor at Peninsula Grace Brethren Church largely come into play when he's out on a call with firefighters or paramedics, but he said it's faster paced.
"Sometimes it's just listening," he said. "(Other times) it's getting the family and patient connected to their support network."
It's hard to find a school kid here on the Kenai Peninsula who hasn't met Captain Burn-ee, Hale's red-nosed alter-ego. And even though Randall's recognition is somewhat quieter, he'll often receive acknowledgement from a community member he helped during an emergency. It is Hale's exuberance, Randall's empathy and the passion they both display for community outreach that earned them the Public Fire Educator of the Year award and Chaplain of the Year awards.
"They put in countless hours. We're not even aware of the dedication they have to their disciplines," said CES Fire Chief Chris Mokracek. "When (Hale) dresses up as Captain Burn-ee, he has a passion for prevention and getting that message out to school kids throughout the entire borough."
When he came on board with CES 17 years ago, Hale said he had to figure out how to go about teaching local school kids about fire prevention. When he learned CES had six puppets on hand, he decided to bring them out of retirement, look for songs and other material for teaching fire prevention, and train some of his firefighters how to be puppeteers. Now he takes his puppet show to preschool through sixth-grade kids from Anchorage to Homer for six weeks during the October and November.
"We have carte blanch as far as visiting on the Kenai Peninsula," Hale said. "We've been invited to Anchorage twice on special permission. We try to involve the Anchorage fire department as much as we can."
While preschoolers through third-graders are taught to stay low to the ground and get out of the building in a fire, Hale said fourth- through sixth-graders are taught to mentor their own parents when it comes to fire prevention. There were 21 fire-related fatalities in Alaska last year and 16 so far this year. Hale said between 50 and 60 percent may have been prevented if a functioning smoke detector had been present.
"It's very positive when we emphasize (to kids) that you're going to be my teacher tomorrow to reach parents and grandparents," Hale said. "If we can save one life it's all worth it."
Many times Randall's job kicks in when someone has lost a loved one or they themselves are dying. Sometimes it's folks who are expected to die, other times it's accidental. Some of the most difficult situations for emergency responders to deal with involve children. That's why, in addition to helping victims get through the worst thing they've ever had to face, he also helps firefighters and paramedics get over their own stress at dealing with the situation.
"Our personnel are better able to cope with some of the terrible things we encounter," Mokracek said, adding that Randall assists the department with weddings and funerals in addition to his chaplain duties. "Just in assisting with the mental health of our personnel, we're able to retain our employees longer."
The best part about Randall's job is when he comes across someone he's helped, even if they don't acknowledge him, and sees that he or she has moved on with their lives.
"I try not to acknowledge them. (It might) bring back painful memories," he said. "When I see people a year or two after a tragic incident and I see them smile and go one with life, that makes it worthwhile."
Jessica Cejnar can be reached at jessica.cejnar@peninsulaclarion.com