When Kevin Franks first became a volunteer firefighter with the Hoodland Fire
District (HFD), his son Jonathan kept a keen eye on his father. Kevin would
get a call on his pager and head out, while Jonathan ran to the iPad to follow
along with the call on an app.

The elder Franks, who was inspired to become a firefighter after seeing how
helpful the firefighters were when responding to calls regarding his ailing
father, has won the HFD’s Firefighter of the Year Award, Above and Beyond
Award and a top responder since he completed the volunteer academy in
2013.

And now the younger Franks, who was inspired by his father’s entry into
firefighting, has followed in his footsteps, as part of HFD’s 2018 academy. “I
wish that I had the focus that he does,” Kevin said.

“I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up,” he added as a joke.
Jonathan started his journey to become a firefighter in the district’s Explorers
Program, and by helping his dad clean the Brightwood station, participating in
joint training exercises between the volunteers and the explorers, working on
“burn to learn” events and when Jonathan could go on certain calls as an
observer, including with his dad.

“It’s really awesome to see him working, and I get to learn a lot from him,”
said Jonathan, 17. Jonathan will also graduate from Sandy High School this
summer and then join the Jefferson County fire student program.

The Explorer Program is open to young people from sixth grade through high
school, offering an entry point for those interested in firefighting. HFD
Battalion Chief Linn Norgard serves as the Explorers Guide and noted that
while the program limits some of what the students can do, they get to learn
most of what firefighters learn, with a focus on support. “I’ve lost count how
many of our explorers have gone on to be firefighters,” Norgard said, adding
that two current members of the paid staff, Evan Jarvis and Tyler
Myers, started in the Explorers Program.

Norgard noted that Jonathan stood out due to “his willingness to do just about
anything.”

Jonathan added that the shift from Explorers to the volunteer training
academy means more heavy lifting, using more tools and expanding the range
of skills. “It’s been a pretty big leap,” he said.

Kevin noted that aspects of the volunteer academy has changed even in the
few years since he was a part of it, with new and better techniques for things
like advancing hoses and forcing entry into a building.

“The department has really embraced that,” he said, adding that those
recruits who were also part of the Explorers Program had a “leg up.”

Meanwhile, Kevin’s wife, Krista, also contributes to the district as a member of
the support group. “I think once you get involved, it’s a family thing,” Kevin
said. “No matter how much you put into this, you always get much more out
of it. It’s our community, it’s our neighborhood.”