First Responder Spotlight is a monthly column submitted by the Sandoval County Optimist Club.
Manuel Terrazas is the Lieutenant responsible for his crew operations for the Town of Bernalillo Fire Department. He has been with the department for 12 years as a career firefighter/EMT and served as a volunteer for a year before that. Terrazas came to Bernalillo from Santa Fe to work as the safety officer in the town’s youth conservation corps program.
Lt. Terrazas has worked with the same shift for seven years, and becoming the leader of his hard-working, highly motivated crew of four members has given him a new perspective on the work he loves. On a 48-hour shift, the crew will average eight calls a day, at all hours of the day or night. Most of the calls are medical emergencies, some of which involve injuries at the town skate park or other broken bone incidents.
One of the interesting calls happened when a girl filling her car at a service station saw a spider crawling on the car window. She decided to kill the spider with fire. When she lit her lighter the fumes from the gasoline ignited and she was the one who got singed. On the highway, when there is rain or snow, there is always an increase in the number of calls to automobile accidents.
When not out on a call, the Lieutenant’s time is taken up with training and with seeing that the chores and reports are completed. He oversees the reports and chores at both of the two fire stations in the town. Off duty, he likes to study the Bible and visit with family. He and an older brother built a race car, a ’91 CRX Honda that outperformed a Lamborghini. He finds that racing relieves his stress.
Although fire departments in other cities offer large incentives to attract trained firefighters/EMTs, Manuel Terrazas likes Bernalillo and his job too much to consider a move. We are grateful for that.