Bondurant Emergency Services Honors Nine Members Transitioning to Active Firefighters

On Monday evening, April 17, 2023, Bondurant Emergency Services honored nine Firefighters at the regularly scheduled council meeting. The purpose of the recognition was to honor those members who have transitioned from probationary status to active firefighters.

These nine individuals have completed all the necessary steps required by the department and the city to function as active firefighters. That means they have all successfully obtained the certification of Firefighter 1 as well as EMT to meet the minimum requirements within the first 24 months of becoming a member of the department and have been checked off on all procedures and policies of the department. Some of these individuals became members of the department, having already completed the training, and came to us with the required certifications or more. However, all new members must complete the training process to function under our specific policies and procedures. Therefore, the time needed to complete the new hire process varies from person to person depending upon the level of training they had previously or if they started from scratch with our department. They all have a maximum of 24 months to complete the tasks.

The vocation they have chosen is one of trust, honor, and loyalty. They have spent a lot of time preparing to receive the privilege of serving our community. They have done an admirable job of learning the basic knowledge and skills that are required to be a firefighter. There is no law that requires them to serve. They have ASKED for the privilege to serve the citizens of Bondurant, the State of Iowa, and the United States. They have asked when the citizens are having the worst day of their life when they have nowhere to turn, and these firefighters will be there to fix their problem, ease their pain or provide them with a path to safety. The privilege to say I am an American Firefighter and one of the best.

The privilege they are asking for comes with the responsibility of trust. Trust that has been paid for by those that came before them with blood, sweat, and tears for over 344 years, since 1678. A trust that makes the citizens of this nation comfortable when entering their homes at their most vulnerable moments. A trust so deep that a mother will freely give them her child, knowing they will protect that child with their life. A trust that says they will be right beside you in the worst firefight of their life and not leave you behind. The privilege that they are asking for comes with the responsibility of honor. They must honor the traditions of the fire service. These traditions have been forged in the burning buildings across this nation by individuals who asked for nothing more than to help those in need. The privilege that they are asking for comes with the responsibility of loyalty. Loyalty to one another and their individual crews. The test of that loyalty will not come during the good times or when they might expect it. It will come when things are at their worst. That is when they must stand by one another with their heads held high in the middle of whatever storm and say we will not be defeated. We will not deviate from our path; if you intend to take on one of us, you will have to take on all of us. That is the loyalty they have demonstrated to one another.

Firefighter - Paramedic Aanna Ehler

Firefighter - Paramedic Sarah Merrill

Firefighter - EMT Danielle Spoerry

Firefighter - EMT Morghan Hurst

Firefighter - EMT Robin Sund

Firefighter - EMT Brody Miller

Firefighter - EMT Matt Crittenden

Firefighter - EMT Oscar Kruse

Firefighter - EMT Jeff Bucklin

Left to right: Matt Crittenden, Jeff Bucklin, Aanna Ehler, Assistant Chief Troy Harmison, Assistant Chief Rebecca Morris, Morghan Hurst, Chief Aaron Kreuder, Oscar Kruse, Training Coordinator Sarah Merrill, Danielle Spoerry, Robin Sund, Brody Miller