FIREWIRE Magazine Winter 2019: Celebrating 5 Years | Page 46

LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS: KALINA COX To Our Readers, “The new phone book is here! The new phone book is here!” This is Steve Martin in the 1979 comedy The Jerk, as he goes on to explain that his excitement is because “Your name in print—it makes people,” sums up nicely how I felt the first time I saw my editor’s bio in FIREWIRE. It also fairly accurately describes my inner voice when the new edition arrives in the mail—all glossy, smelling of fresh ink with, you guessed it, my named stamped neatly on the back cover. HANDS-ONLY CPR Now don’t get me wrong, I had no idea I would get any public recognition at all for assisting with editing and secretarial du- ties; I volunteered because it sounded fun and I love writing, editing, and the printed word. I feel the written word is going the way of the Dodo, so anything I could do to slow its extinc- tion seemed like a no-brainer. However, as I edited articles and read each edition I realized that FIREWIRE was much more than just a magazine. It was a platform for change, a place to share best practices and debunk bad ones. It was a way to stay involved with the other divisions and keep informed about our fire family. It was the ideal place to publish some awesome photography and, should you so choose, a place for each of you to see your name in print. I encourage you to contact Jeff Allen or Ryan Beckers, because what this magazine has done is given you a voice. Having a forum that reaches thousands is a unique opportunity, especially because it’s not reserved for the few to contribute to. I have been with County Fire for over 11 years and I would venture to say that very few of you know my grandfather, Glenn Cox, who is a retired Riverside City firefighter, or that I trained with the Zuni tribe in New Mexico to get red carded, or that I worked with the Los Pinos Fire District in Colorado in my mid- 20s. You could say the fire service runs in my blood and I just want to say, I may not be on the front lines you with every day, but I’ve got your back. I’m proud to call you all, past, present, and future, my brothers and sisters. Kalina Cox Assistant Editor San Bernardino County Firefighters are offering valuable training that could help save a life • More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the United States each year • Survival depends on immediately receiving CPR • Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival • Seventy percent of out-of-hospital CPR happens in the home • 46 percent of people receive immediate CPR • Hands-Only CPR shown to be as effective as conventional CPR • Takes 2-4 minutes to learn 46 FIREWIRE • Five Year Anniversary LEARN CPR • GET THE APP • SAVE A LIFE Contact: Engineer Lee Martin [email protected] • 760-981-8164 www.sbcfire.org/Programs/PulsePoint.aspx Winter 2019 • FIREWIRE 47