FIREWIRE Magazine Winter 2019: Celebrating 5 Years | Page 50

LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS: DAN NELSON Greetings FIREWIRE Readers, It has been an honor to serve as an editor/writer for FIREWIRE over the past five years. As you can probably imagine, assem- bling this publication is quite a challenge for all of those involved. Just like any magazine that you can buy off the shelf at Barnes & Noble, each edition involves a detailed process, starting with an editors’ meeting and brain storming session. The final process occurs after the final editing when the layout folks put our stories and photos together for the finished product that we all are able to consume online or in print. My favorite part of the process is editing the stories that feature various aspects of the department that I am not directly involved with (apparatus committee, hand crew, etc.). I have learned a great deal about how much incredible work is being performed every day by members of our department to make SBCoFD greater than it was the day before. I’ve been at this department for a little over 10 years, and it is a completely different organization now versus when I started. The addition of a hand crew program, heli- copters, the annexation of additional cities, an upgraded boat pro- gram, a drone program—the list goes on—makes this an exciting place to work. As I read or edit the stories in FIREWIRE it reminds me that there are a lot of amazing people who work here who make these programs go from an idea to a legitimate asset for our department. There is no “one person” making these things hap- pen; every one of these improvements involved numerous people from command staff, suppression forces and support staff work- ing together to make it happen. To me, that’s pretty exciting stuff. My other favorite aspect of working on FIREWIRE is writing stories about members of our department. Typically, Jeff Allen will present to me the name of someone that he would like to see featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Some months it’s a member of support staff and others it may be a member of Local 935. I like doing these stories because it allows me (and hopefully our read- ers) to learn more about the actual people who make this place work. Also, through the interview process I get to learn things like how exactly the payroll process works. Getting to know the process and the people has definitely given me a greater appreciation of the “product” that we produce here at County Fire. I am proud to be a member of the FIREWIRE team, and I look for- ward to what lies ahead for the publication and the department in the years to come. If you have an idea for a story, even if you don’t want to write it yourself, please contact any of the editors that are listed on the back cover. No topic is too small or too big. I assure you that every idea will be discussed and given serious consider- ation by the editorial team. Our desire is to make our magazine interesting, fun to read, and most importantly relevant to our read- ers. So, please help us remain an IAFF award-winning publication by reading and contributing ideas and stories to FIREWIRE. LOCAL 935 MEMBERS! DO YOU OR YOUR FAMILY OWN A BUSINESS OR BRAND? NOW OFFERING SPECIAL RATES FOR OUR LOCAL 935 MEMBERS TO ADVERTISE WITH US In Service, Dan Nelson Assistant Editor To advertise in next FIREWIRE issue contact Randy Wormdahl: [email protected] All advertisers non-exclusive to Local 935 are welcome! Design can be provided for a minimal fee if needed. 50 FIREWIRE • Five Year Anniversary Winter 2019 • FIREWIRE 51