A Conversation with Santa Clara County Fire Department Chief Suwanna Kerdkaew - 与加州圣克拉拉县消防局局长 Suwanna Kerdkaew 的对话

(This project is sponsored by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation） （Chinese Version is available below)

For many immigrants, government affairs, such as the functions of local government and the resources they manage, are still foreign to us, even after living in this country for decades. Part of the reason is we rarely have the opportunity to access this information, and government affairs are complex and challenging to understand.

As an important part of the 2024 "Civic Engagement" project by the Society of Heart’s Delight, I recently had the privilege to interview Suwanna Kerdkaew, the Chief of the Santa Clara County Fire Department. During this interview, Suwanna walked me through the essential functions of the SSC Fire Department, an agency that’s highly related to our daily lives; she also shared some inspiring personal stories.

Suwanna is a first generation immigrant from Thailand. Her stepfather met her mother overseas during the Vietnam War when Suwanna was already born. At the age of 3, Suwanna came to the United States with her parents. Like many immigrants, Suwanna worked hard to obtain a university degree in biology and joined a biotechnology company afterwards. However, she always had a passion for community service. She was always wondering what it is like to be a firefighter every time she heard the siren of a fire truck. She also recognized the fact that there were few women and Asians in the firefighting profession at that time. Meanwhile Suwanna continued to volunteer at local hospitals and non-profit organizations in her spare time and then 9/11 happened. When 911 happened, Suwanna was already interviewing for a firefighter position in San Francisco.

What struck Suwanna most is the overwhelming number of applicants for firefighters at the interview site, despite the tragedy in the World Trade Center. They were men and women from different races, age groups and professions. This made the already highly competitive firefighter interviews even more intense. Ultimately, Suwanna was hired by the Santa Clara County Fire Department in 2002. She started as a medic and was later promoted to captain. Because of  her outstanding leadership, Suwanna was appointed as the Fire Chief in April 2022. Suwanna is also a member of the LGBTQ community and lives with her wife and their 17-year-old daughter.

Can you tell us about your main responsibilities as the Chief of the Santa Clara County Fire Department and the primary functions of the department?

Interestingly, the Santa Clara County Fire Department, also known as the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District, is a fire district within the county. Compared to a larger entity like San Jose, where the San Jose Fire Department is a department within the city government, the county fire department is overseen by a board of supervisors, similar to a company’s board of directors. We have autonomy because we’ve demonstrated significant leadership, capacity, and commitment. My role is somewhat like a city manager, responsible for managing the daily operations of our fire district. We handle fleet and facilities, our own hiring and promotions, business services, and payroll. All these tasks fall within the purview of the Fire Chief’s office. Additionally, we have an operations department that handles emergency calls. Whenever someone calls 911 from any of the seven cities, towns, and unincorporated areas within Santa Clara County, we respond. Once the call is transferred or initiated from the county communications center, we get notified, then we send the appropriate risk-based dispatching. If it’s a typical EMS (Emergency Medical Service) call, we usually send one unit. Our Paramedics and EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) can immediately initiate what we call advanced life support on the scene, which we are very proud of.

Of course, another significant responsibility of our fire department (as reflected in our name) is to put out fires, whether it's structure fire or vegetation fire. The number of units we dispatch depends on the information the caller gives us. If someone says, "Hey, I see a whole house on fire," we will send a lot of resources. If someone says, "Oh, I see some decorative bark burning," we might only send one fire engine. So it depends on the caller’s description. We also respond to hazmat calls and technical rescues (i.e, rescue people from crashed vehicles). We respond to lift assist, which means if somebody lives in our jurisdiction and they need help because they fell and couldn't get back up, we'll go and we'll assess to make sure there are no injuries and if there are injuries, we'll call an ambulance to transport them. If there are no injuries, we'll put them back in bed. 

In my view, our work is not limited to the county. Recently, we had a strike team called 2310 Charlie. They went to Los Angeles County to help put out fires because there were multiple wildfires happening simultaneously.  If a community is in need, we send resources If we can. We have sent resources to San Diego and all the way up to Washington State. During Hurricane Katrina, we sent folks to New Orleans as well.

Through our CERRS Team (Community Education and Risk Reduction Services) program, we provide disaster preparedness training to residents. We also have a fire prevention division. We have contract relationships with the county government, and these contracts are quite complex, but I will briefly introduce them here. We have a contract with the county to provide fire marshal services. We have a contract with the county to provide executive leadership at the Office of Emergency Management - meaning we have county fire employees who are up there leading that county department. We also have a contract with the county to provide executive leadership over County 9-1-1 Communications. We are very proud of our cooperative relationship with the county government and will continue to support our community, whether or not they are within our service response area.

What is the difference between city-level fire departments and county-level fire departments, and how do they cooperate?

This is a great question. First of all, our fire district includes several inherent cities, including Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, and part of Saratoga. Then we have several contract service areas. We are contracted to provide service to the city of Los Altos, the city of Campbell and the Saratoga Fire Protection District, or Saratoga Fire District, which is the other geographic part of the city of Saratoga, as well as the Los Altos Hills County Fire District. Their acronym is LAHCFD. For example, when I meet with the city manager of Cupertino, she knows she doesn't have to worry about fire department matters because we handle all fire stations, equipment, recruitment, promotion, retirement, and all employee benefits without affecting the city's budget. For contract cities, we still handle these matters but we are paid by the cities or the entities that come into the district through contracts, not from a tax base that comes into the district. This is beneficial because ultimately what we strive for is a regional approach that transcends city boundaries during firefighting. A fire doesn't care which city it starts in; it will cross jurisdictions. This regional approach allows us to dispatch the nearest resources for disaster response first.

We report our performance monthly. We inform our jurisdictions of the incidents in their city or fire district, the education we provided to their community, and our response times so they know how long it takes us to get to the calls on average. We are very proud of being an accredited agency, meaning every five years, we conduct statistical analysis with a lot of data to study how we serve the community. We achieve this through the accreditation process.

We also publish standards of cover for fire services, which are detailed and available on our website. So if anyone wants to know how many calls were made in Cupertino, they can find the answer on our website. Do you want to know what types of calls we received? It's all on our website. We strive to be transparent. For us, it doesn't matter if an emergency is in the Northern part of Los Altos or Palo Alto because we provide automatic aid to Palo Alto. Automatic aid means if we are closer, we will respond within the agreed upon area. We also have automatic aid agreements with other neighboring jurisdictions as well. Returning to our relationship with cities and towns, having one fire department serving these adjacent cities in the West Valley is very beneficial to the community.

How does the fire department cooperate with other government agencies?

One of our key partners is the county government. We also cooperate with other city departments. For example, we recently conducted a wildfire drill, inviting departments from Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara City, and others. As long as we can bring them in, we invite them to practice with us because we improve through joint incident drills, much like practicing an instrument. They basically practice managing the incident, calling resources, ensuring logistical support, and making sure finances are in place. All components of the incident command system are exercised. We included Santa Cruz units, Cal Fire units, and the California Emergency Services Office (CAL OES), and we cooperated with these personnel. So we cooperate not only at the city level or neighboring city level but also at the county, state, and federal levels. We are very proud to be a resource for any community in need, whether for preparation, mitigation, response, or recovery.

What are the department's proudest achievements so far?

Well, when I close my eyes, I think of our staff. I know this might sound a bit trite, but we have a group of very talented people who bring a variety of different skills. Our staff is very diverse in terms of race, gender, religion, life experience, sexual orientation, education, etc. This means they bring diverse skills, different life experiences, or an ability to empathize with others, which allows us to serve our very diverse community better. We have people who speak different languages, come from different cultures and religions, or have no religious beliefs, and I am very proud of that.

Another thing that we are proud of is our continuous effort to harness the latest technological advancements to improve our services. Whether it's using advanced mapping systems or developing detailed pre-plans, we are always looking for ways to be more progressive and forward-facing. This ongoing work is inspired by our surroundings, as Cupertino is part of Silicon Valley, home to many tech companies. We strive to mirror the innovative and advanced approaches of these companies in our own operations, and this commitment to progress is something I am really proud of.

What advice do you have for women in different fields looking to enhance their leadership skills?

As I mentioned before, when I was in college and saw fire trucks passing by, I hesitated because I didn't want to be the first of anything. But get past that. If you are passionate about a profession, even if you find yourself in the minority, don’t hesitate.

Your work ethic and true self will shine out and lead you forward. After all, what you want to showcase most is your work performance and how you treat others. In my previous career, I often found myself as one of the few women in the workplace. When I became a firefighter, women made up about 10% of the workforce. You might find yourself as the only woman on a strike team, or you might find that a certain group of people is underrepresented, but that doesn’t really matter. The people who helped me in my career were not my demographic because the people in my demographic weren’t there. But as long as I actively asked for help, I received it. Seeking help is not just about asking for it but showing your dedication, your willingness to work hard, and your genuine passion. If you are truly invested, this work will not just be a job because you are passionate about it. Even if you don't get a promotion in the end, it doesn’t matter because you have shown who you are through constant effort.

So my advice for leadership is: as a woman, if you encounter an opportunity but are unsure if anyone has walked that path before, tell yourself you can be the first. Additionally, many of your advocates are out there may not look like you or sound like you, but they’re there.  So, believe in yourself and stay kind. Also, seriously consider the kind of person you want to be and strive to be the best version of yourself. I think that will go a long way in a leadership role.  Also remember to pay that leadership forward.

Is there any other important information you think our residents should know?

There is a lot of useful information on our website. We understand that not everyone has access to the internet or a computer, but if you do, please visit our website, sccfd.org. Our website explains who we are and the areas we serve. There is a lot of information on the Community Education page too. For example, if someone wants to learn CPR, they can find related courses to see if they are suitable. As a community member, you are the first step in saving lives. Community support is crucial to ensuring firefighters can successfully save lives.

We also provide information on preparing for wildfire season. Our current public service announcement focus is NO to fireworks, and please go and watch the condoned, organized fireworks. There have already been so many fires this year, and although we have been working hard to protect people's property, we cannot control where the embers go. When a fire lights off in brush or vegetation, it’s very unpredictable. These are important messages we aim to convey from the fire department to the community.

Finally, I want to say that we are always here to serve you, and if you need help, we will do our utmost to assist.

What should someone do if they want to find a job in the fire department?

I suggest starting with firefighter or fire service courses, or fire science courses offered by community colleges in the Bay Area. As the saying goes, while people are running out of buildings, firefighters are rushing in. This means that firefighters need to put the community first, not themselves. This is hard. So, I think taking fire science or fire academy courses can give you a taste of whether this is the right fit for you. If there are volunteer opportunities at the fire department nearby, you can try those as well. The job of a firefighter also requires EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification, so you need to take those courses. It’s not a simple process; most times you can’t just fill out an application and become a firefighter.

There are prerequisites to becoming a firefighter. For example, here, you need to be at least 18 years old, have a California driver's license, be a U.S. citizen, and have EMT certification. After completing these steps through community college courses, you can see if this is what you want to do. I wish I could say it’s easy, but it’s not, partly because the job is very challenging, like the recent eight-alarm fire in Redwood City, which requires constant skill-building.

If you get hired, we will have you attend an 18-week training academy that tests your mental strength, academic strength, and physical strength. When you complete this successfully, we will pin your badge and officially declare you a firefighter. We also have a personal services division who is the gateway to our hiring recruitments, and this information is on our website. If you are interested, we also have volunteer programs.

We have some outreach events, which are usually posted on our social media by the county fire department. We don't host these events often, but when we do, it's a great opportunity to learn from firefighters who have just gone through the entire application and training process. Overall, the process of applying to become a firefighter is very competitive and requires time, patience, and perseverance. People need to understand that this is not an overnight process but requires full commitment.

In my conversation with Suwanna, I could feel her passion and pride for this job throughout the entire process. As Suwanna mentioned, this is a job that requires true selflessness, and without immense passion, it’s hard to be in this job. Therefore, I have always held this profession in high regard. If you are passionate about community service and enjoy challenging work, I believe being a firefighter can bring you a great sense of accomplishment. Besides being a firefighter, the fire department has many other functional roles, such as IT, business service, administration, etc., which are great opportunities to enter the public service field. Please follow the Santa Clara County Fire Department's website (sccfd.org), Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Nextdoor, and x. Stay tuned for our next interview story!

———————— 中文版本 (Chinese Version) ————————

（本项目感谢Silicon Valley Community Foundation 赞助支持）

对于我们很多移民来说，虽然在美国生活多年，但还是对当地政府部门的职能和他们掌握的资源知之甚少。毕竟我们平时很少有机会能全面的接触这些信息，而且政府事务纷繁复杂，了解起来也是颇费功夫。

作为愉园社2024年“公民参与”项目的重要部分，我最近有幸采访了圣克拉拉县消防局局长（Santa Clara County Fire Department Chief）Suwanna Kerdkaew，请局长为我们介绍了跟我们生活息息相关的县消防部门的那些事儿以及她的一些个人故事。

Suwanna是泰裔第一代移民。Suwanna的母亲是泰国的一位单亲妈妈，在越战期间认识了一位美国士兵，后来这位美国士兵成为了Suwanna的继父。Suwanna 3岁时跟随继父和母亲来到了美国。跟很多移民一样，Suwanna通过艰苦打拼取得了生物学的大学学位，并入职一家生物科技公司。然而她对社区服务始终怀有热情，特别是每次当消防车警笛响起时，都让她对消防员这个职业产生更多的好奇与向往。当然Suwanna也意识到在那个年代，消防员这个职业女性和亚裔似乎都很少。但这并没有让Suwanna停下社区服务的脚步，她利用空余时间在当地医院和非盈利组织做志愿者，直到9.11发生。9.11发生之时，Suwanna已经在面试旧金山消防员的工作。

令Suwanna至今记忆尤深的是，世贸大厦内几千名消防员和群众的丧生激发出了大家报考消防员的空前热情，考试现场人山人海，并且报考人员也不再是清一色的年轻男性，而是不同年龄和族裔的女性以及男性。这使得录取率本就不高的消防员考试变得异常竞争激烈。最终Suwanna在2002年被圣克拉拉县消防局录用，她从急救员做起，后来晋升为消防队长，凭着优秀的领导力，Suwanna自2022年4月起被任命为消防局局长。Suwanna也是LGBTQ社群的一员，她与妻子以及17岁的女儿生活在一起。

您可以给我们介绍一下您作为圣克拉拉县消防局局长的主要职责以及县消防局的主要功能吗？

非常有趣的是，圣克拉拉县消防局，也被称为圣克拉拉县中央消防保护区，它其实是县里的一个消防区。如果我将其与县内较大的实体圣何塞进行对比，圣何塞消防局是圣何塞市政府管理的一个部门，而县消防局不隶属于任何政府部门，而是由一个独立的监督委员会（类似公司的董事会）来监管。我们享有自治权，因为我们展现了大量的领导力、专业能力和投入。而我的职能有点像城市经理，负责管理我们消防区的日常各项事务。我们负责车队和设备管理，我们进行自己的招聘和晋升，我们也有自己的财务部门。所有这些都包含在消防局长办公室的职责范围内。此外我们还有操作部门，就是处理警报。当有人在圣克拉拉县内任何七个城市、城镇和非建制区拨打911时，我们就会响应。当电话被转接，或者从县通讯中心发起时，我们会得到通知，之后我们会风险评估然后进行调度。如果是典型的EMS（紧急医疗服务）电话，我们通常会派一个单位前往。我们的急救员到达现场后可以马上启动我们称之为高级生命支持的操作。我们对此非常自豪。

当然，我们作为消防局（这也体现在我们的名字中）的另外一大职责是扑灭火灾，包括建筑火灾和森林火灾。我们派遣的单位数量取决于打电话的人所说的内容。如果有人说，嘿，我看到一整栋房子着火了，我们会派遣大量资源。如果有人说，哦，我看到一些装饰用的树皮着火了，我们可能只会派一辆消防车。所以这取决于报警人的描述。我们也会响应危险品事故（hazmat calls）或特殊救援（technical rescues，例如在车祸现场将人员从变形的车辆里救出）请求。如果有人在我们的管辖区内摔倒了，无法自己起来，我们会前往现场评估以确保没有受伤。如果有受伤情况，我们会叫救护车进行转运。如果没有受伤，我们会帮助他们回到床上。

在我看来我们的工作也不仅限于县内。最近我们有一个被称为2310 Charlie 的突击队，前往洛杉矶县进行火灾扑救，因为当时有多起山火同时发生。在我们的能力范围内，我们会派遣具备操作能力的设备和人员去任何需要的社区。我们曾经派遣资源去圣迭戈、华盛顿州。在卡特里娜飓风期间，我们还派人去了新奥尔良。

我们通过社区应急响应项目（CERT）对居民进行防灾救灾方面的培训，此外我们还有一个完整的防火部门。我们与县政府也有合同关系，这几个合同比较复杂，但我会在这里简单介绍一下。我们其中一个合同是派遣防火专员（Fire Marshall）为圣克拉拉县的非建制区（unincorporated area) 提供建筑防火方面的服务（例如防火检查，防火信息咨询等）。我们与县政府的另一个合同，是为他们的紧急管理办公室（Office of Emergency Management）提供行政领导的服务，也就是说我们有县消防局员工在那里领导这个部门。我们还有一个合同是为县的911通讯部门提供行政领导服务。我们与县政府的这种合作关系是我们非常自豪的事情，我们会持续支持我们的社区，无论这些社区是否在我们的响应服务区域内。

城市级别消防部门和县级别消防部门的区别，以及他们是如何合作的？

这是一个很好的问题，主要是因为我们实际上并不单独行动。首先我们消防区有几个固有的城市，包括Cupertino、Monte Sereno、Los Gatos和Saratoga的一部分。然后我们有两个合同服务区域。第一个是Los Altos市与Saratoga消防区（也就是除了我们固有服务区域以外的Saratoga的另一部分），第二个是Los Altos山县消防区（Los Altos Hills CountyFire District），缩写是LAHCFD。所以我们与这些城市都有关系。比如，当我与Cupertino市的城市经理会面时，她知道她不必担心消防部门的事情，因为我们负责所有的消防站、设备、招聘、晋升、退休和所有员工的福利等等，这些都不会影响到城市的预算。对于合同城市，我们依然负责这些，但我们会向这些合同城市或部门收费，因此我们自己的圣克拉拉县消防区内的税收不会负担我们为合同城市提供的服务。这很好，因为我们最终想要的是一种区域性管理方法，可以在救火时打破城市之间的管辖边界。火灾不管在哪个城市开始，它都会跨越管辖区。这种区域性的方法能让我们在第一时间派遣最近的资源去救灾。

我们每月会报告我们的绩效。我们告诉他们，这些是你们城市发生的报警，这些是我们为你们社区提供的防火教育，这是我们的响应时间，这样他们就知道我们平均需要多长时间才能到达报警地点。同时我们也对消防服务进行评估和认证，这意味着每五年，我们会通过大量的数据来进行统计分析，深入研究我们是如何服务社区的。我们通过认证过程来实现这一点。

我们也会发布消防服务标准（Standards of Cover），这些都是很细节的内容，但它们都在我们的网站上。所以如果有人想知道Cupertino有多少火警电话，可以在我们的网站上找到答案。你想知道我们接到的是什么类型的电话？这些都在我们的网站上。我们一直都尽量做到透明公开。对我们来说，火灾是发生在North Los Altos还是Palo Alto，并不重要，因为我们会自动援助Palo Alto。自动援助意味着如果我们离得更近，我们就会去救援。我们与圣何塞也有自动援助协议。说回我们与城市和镇的关系，这些West Valley的临近城市都由我们这一个消防部门来提供服务对社区来说是非常受益的。

消防部门如何与其他政府机构合作?

我们一个重要的合作伙伴是县政府。我们也与其他城市的部门合作。比如，最近我们进行了一次山火演习，我们邀请了Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara City等市的部门参加，只要我们有能力把他们带进来，我们就会邀请他们与我们一起练习，因为我们通过联合事故演练会变得更好，就像练习乐器一样。然后他们基本上会演练如何管理这个事故，通过调用资源，确保后勤支持，确保财务到位。所有事故指挥系统中的组成部分都得到了演练。这次演练还包括Santa Cruz的单位、加州消防局的单位、州办公室，即加州紧急服务办公室（CAL OES），我们也与这些人员合作。所以我们不仅在较小的城市级别或邻近城市级别合作，也在县级、州级和联邦级别合作。我们非常自豪能够成为任何有需要的社区的资源，无论是准备、减灾还是响应，或者是恢复。

到目前为止，你们部门最自豪的成就是什么？

好吧，闭上眼睛，我想到我们的员工，我知道这听起来可能有点陈词滥调，但我们有一群非常有才华的人，他们给我们带来了各种不同的技能。我们的员工本身非常多样化。我们在种族、性别、性取向上都很多样，我们有一个多元化的劳动力。也就是说，他们带来了多样的技能、不一样的人生经历或者一种能够共情他人的能力。这让我们能更好的服务我们非常多样化的社区。我们有说不同语言、来自不同文化和不同宗教，或者没有宗教信仰的人，我为此感到非常自豪。

另一件我们感到自豪的事情是我们总是积极探索如何用更先进的技术帮助我们响应报警。比如可能是地图绘制，或者是我们如何做预案。我们一直在不断进步，试图弄清楚如何利用这些更先进和前瞻性的技术。我们这里有很多科技公司，所以我们试图探索如何把这些公司的最新技术与我们的工作做连接，这些都是我非常自豪的事情。

您对不同领域的女性在提升领导力方面有什么建议？

我之前提到过，当我在大学时，每当看到消防车经过，我会有些犹豫，因为我不想成为这个领域的第一人。但要克服这种心态。只要你对某个职业充满热情，即使你发现自己不属于大多数，也应该勇敢坚持自己的选择。

因为你的职业道德和你的真实自我会让你发光并引领你前进。毕竟你最想展现出来的是你的工作表现和你的待人之道。在我之前的职业生涯中，我不止一次成为工作中寥寥无几的女性中的一位，当我成为一名消防员时，女性大约占10%。你可能会发现自己在一个突击队里是唯一的女性，或者你可能发现，某个特定群体的人并不多，这其实都没关系。在我职业生涯中帮助我的人都不是跟我同一群体的人，因为与我一样的人并不存在。但只要我主动寻求帮助，我就会得到帮助。而寻求帮助不仅仅是提出请求，而是展示出你的奉献精神，展示出你愿意努力工作，而且如果你真的全身心投入其中，这工作就不会只是一份工作，因为你充满了热情。即使最后没有得到升迁，那也完全没关系，因为你在不断尝试中证明了自己。

所以我在领导力方面的建议是，作为一名女性如果你发现自己遇到了某个机会，但不知道是否有人曾经走过这条路，告诉自己你可以成为第一人。此外，许多你的支持者可能会是乍一看跟你很不一样的人。所以，相信自己，然后保持善良。还有就是请认真思考你想成为怎样的人，努力成为最好的自己。我认为这在提升你的领导力方面会发挥很长远的作用。

还有什么其他重要信息您认为我们的居民应该知道的吗？

我们网站上有很多有用的信息，我们知道并不是每个人都有上网的条件，也并不是每个人都有电脑，但如果你有这些条件，请访问我们的网站，sccfd.org，了解网站上的内容。我们的网站上会解释我们是谁，我们服务的区域在哪里。特别是在社区教育页面上有很多信息。比如，有人想学习心肺复苏术（CPR），可以查找相关课程，看是否适合你。你作为社区成员，其实是挽救生命的第一步。社区成员的帮助是确保消防员能成功挽救生命的关键因素。

另外我们还提供有关为山火季节做好准备的信息。我们的服务公告是，请不要放烟花，请去观看合法组织的烟花表演。今年已经发生了很多火灾，虽然我们已经很努力的保护人们的财产，但因为火星四溅，我们无法控制火星的去向。当火灾在灌木丛或植被中点燃时，它是非常不可预测的。所以这些是我认为在消防部门向社区传达的信息中非常重要的内容。

最后我还想说，我们一直在这里为您服务，只要您需要帮助，我们会全力以赴。

如果有人想在消防部门找到一份工作，他们应该怎么做呢？

我建议大家从上湾区的社区大学提供的消防员课程或消防服务课程、消防科学课程开始。当人们从建筑物里跑出来时，正如一句老话所说的那样，消防员们在往里面冲。这意味着消防员需要优先考虑社区，而不是自己。这非常难。所以，我认为参加消防科学或消防学院的课程能让你体验一下，看看这是否适合你。如果附近有去消防部门当志愿者的机会，你也可以尝试。消防员这个工作还要求你有医疗急救员的资质（EMT），所以你需要学习那些课程。这不是一个简单的过程，不是说填写申请表就能成为消防员。

成为消防员还有一些先决条件。例如，在我们这里，你需要年满18岁，拥有加州的驾照，是美国公民，你还需要有EMT（医疗急救员）资格。所以，当你完成这些步骤后，通过社区大学的课程，你可以看看这是否是你想做的事情。我很希望我能说这是一个简单的事，但它并不是，部分原因是这份工作很具有挑战性，比如最近发生的红木城火灾，八次警报，这需要你不断的积累技能。

如果你被雇用了，我们会让你参加一个18周的培训学院，考验你的心理、学术和体力。在你顺利毕业后，我们会为你戴上徽章，并宣布你正式成为一名消防员。我们也有个人服务部门，这些信息都在我们的网站上。如果你有兴趣，我们也有志愿者计划。

我们还有一些外展活动，县消防部门通常会在我们的社交媒体上发布这些活动。我们不经常举办这些活动，但当我们举办时，这是一个从刚刚经历过全套申请和培训过程的消防员那里取经的好机会。总的来说，申请成为消防员的过程非常具有竞争性，需要时间、耐心和毅力。大家需要知道这不是一个一蹴而就的过程，而是需要全身心的投入。

在跟Suwanna的谈话中，我自始至终都能感受到她对这份工作的热情和自豪。毕竟就如Suwanna所说，这是一份要求你真正舍己为人的工作，如果不是内心怀着巨大的热忱，很难胜任。为此我一直对这个职业充满敬意。如果你对社区服务很有热情，并且喜欢有挑战性的工作，相信消防员的工作能给你带来很多成就感。除了消防员外，消防部门还有很多其他职能的工作，比如IT，财务，行政等等，这些都是进入公共服务领域的好机会。请关注Santa Clara County Fire Department的网站(sccfd.org), Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Nextdoor, 以及 x.

敬请期待我们下一期的采访故事！