TEN YEAR SERVICE MILESTONES - ROSSI, PRATT, AND PETERSEN

CAPTAIN JUSTIN ROSSI

In the past ten years, Captain Rossi has consistently grown as a firefighter, as an athlete, and as a leader.  Rossi attended the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill on a full-ride scholarship for swimming.  While captain of the swim team, he was a Dean’s List student and an Atlantic Coast Conference All-Conference athlete. He earned his BA degree in Management and has since added his AA degree in Fire Science. 

Rossi joined TDFPD in 2007 and immediately served on the EMS Steering Committee and earned his certification as an EMS Instructor.  As a member of the Insurance Advisory Committee, Rossi researched and reviewed insurance proposals, which lead to the implementation of an H.S.A. plan saving the District money and protecting the coverage levels for the employees.  Rossi was a project leader for the fire hydrant maintenance and tracking, which then lead to the tedious project of the updating the manual map books.  Every new firefighter must memorize all the streets and the unique firefighting challenges that may exist in the various locations of the fire district.  Rossi meticulously maintains accurate map books for studying/testing, for quick reference when a resident calls the stations, and for a manual back up in all our equipment should GPS ever fail.  His interest and commitment to physical fitness has never wavered as he now bike rides competitively.

ENGINEER BEN PRATT

Pratt also joined TDFPD in 2007, quickly gravitating towards the ongoing promotional examination program.  For each rank in the fire service, employees must complete required course work, study and master written exams, and then pass live situational scenarios.  As a new employee, Pratt took advantage of opportunities to serve as support personnel during theses exams.  Volunteering for these assignments gives employees a deeper understanding of what to expect when they desire to promote. Pratt then successfully promoted to Engineer in 2012. 

He has been very active with the IAFF Local 2441 serving on the Contract Negotiation Committee, which gained him insight as to how the Fire District tax revenues are distributed throughout the various District budgets.  He also eagerly participates in public education events like the school programs for boat safety, winter survival, and the Chamber Business EXPO in an effort to make sure our children and residents know that firefighters are here to help them.   His education was obtained locally through the TMCC Fire Academy and Paramedic programs.

ENGINEER BRAD PETERSEN

Engineer Petersen has nearly 16 years of fire service experience, consisting of two seasons with the U.S. Forest Service, four years with Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, and ten years with TDFPD.  He attended the Northern Nevada Fire and Rescue Academy in 2000, earned an AA degree from TMCC in Fire Technology in 2001, and completed the REMSA Paramedic program in 2009.  He was promoted to Engineer in 2015.

Petersen’s contributions to the District thus far have been as the Station Supply Manager working with vendors to order, deliver, and approve expenses for the station needs like paper products, cleaning supplies, and equipment; as an American Heart Association CPR Instructor teaching internal and external classes to his co-workers and the public;  and as a vendor liaison for computerized staffing programs to improve departmental overtime availability, acceptance, and tracking. He spent hundreds of hours testing, training on, and refining the software.  Currently, Petersen is serving as a Paramedic Preceptor and as the Uniform Coordinator.  The latter gave him an opportunity to design a new logo for the agency, and he continues to work with vendors on the selection and ordering of the firefighter daily uniform as well as the Local 2441 Union apparel needs.

We are proud to acknowledge their dedication and commitment to the residents and visitors of the fire district over the past ten years.