First Responder Spotlight is a monthly column submitted by the Bernalillo Optimist Club
Khalen Howard has been a firefighter/EMT for nearly six years in the Town of Bernalillo Fire Department. He lives in Bernalillo, but has roots in Corrales where both his parents served in the Corrales Fire Department. Howard’s attachment to firefighting goes back to his grandfather who was a fireman in New York. His own interest was “sparked” when he worked with the Youth Conservation Corps through the Sandoval County youth summer employment program. He became a certified firefighter through classes at CNM taught by fire chiefs he had known in Corrales. He started his career as a volunteer in the Corrales Fire Department.
In the course of his employment he has become certified in several fields of first response, including woodland fires with experience in California, as a ropes tech for rescue response at Cabezon in the Sandias, as a swift water tech for rescue of boaters on the Rio Grande, and as an EMT basic. As with other first responders he continuously takes classes to maintain and improve his fire and rescue skills.
Khalen enjoys the feeling of brotherhood with the other members of his shift, and the feeling of respect he gets with interaction with the community. He encourages people to call the fire department at any time, regardless of the hour. The men and women of the department are there to serve the public.
You can find more information on their facebook page: Town of Bernalillo Fire and Rescue.