Since he was 18 years old, Shaine Pettiette has had a desire to be a firefighter. But Pettiette took a small detour from his dream and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, dedicating four years to defending his country.
Now 23, Pettiette is about to leave the Marines, and he wants to pick up his original path of becoming a firefighter.
To help him in his quest, the City of Carlsbad Fire Department teamed with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Boots in Business mentoring program and gave Pettiette an inside look at their operations.
Over a four-day period, Pettiette put in eight hours in fire administration and 48 hours at a fire station serving a 24-hour shift on an ambulance and a 24-hour shift on a fire engine. He bunked with our firefighter/paramedics at fire station 1 on Carlsbad Village Drive and accompanied our emergency crews on calls.
Battalion Chief Mike Calderwood, who oversees the Fire Department's involvement in the chamber's Boots in Business program, speaks highly of the military mentoring initiative.
"Boots in Business is a great program," Calderwood said. "We're honored that the Chamber of Commerce has allowed us to be a part of this and help active military service members transition to business and the work place."
Pettiette was the second service member the City of Carlsbad Fire Department has mentored.
"The goal is to give him as broad a view of our operations as possible," Calderwood said, "to show him what being a member of a fire department entails, not just seeing a fire, but seeing the administration side, the preparation, as well as seeing the lifesaving and firefighting sides."
Pettiette, who hails from Phoenix, is an impressive young man. Our firefighters were proud to show him what goes into our everyday emergency operations.
"Everybody was willing to answer my questions," Pettiette said about his stay with us. "Even a firefighter coming off a 24-hour shift was willing to help. The camaraderie is amazing."
His first shift was with our fire administration team, where he shadowed Division Chief Chris Heiser and attended planning meetings to get a feel for the preparation that goes into giving our firefighters the best possible tools when they go into the field.
"We had a meeting that showed GIS (geographic information system) images of the city," Pettiette said. "I saw the new streets and they talked about how to get the fire engines into places that had difficult access.
"It was really interesting," he added. "I had no idea that so much planning went into fighting a fire."
He also got a first-hand look at actual operations during his time with an ambulance and fire engine crew.
As part of the mentoring program, Pettiette also spent two weeks at Tri-City Medical Center, where he got a close-up look at their emergency operations.
Pettiette received lifesaving training in the Marine Corps, to prepare him in case a fellow Marine was hurt. He said he felt fortunate that during his four-year service, which included a year in Afghanistan, he didn't have to apply that training.
He said he appreciated the opportunity that the chamber's Boots in Business program gave him, and all of us with the City of Carlsbad were glad to be part of it. He said he hopes that the mentoring program will help give him an edge when he applies for a job in emergency services.
"The field is very competitive," Pettiette said. "This program helps me to ensure that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and it gives me the opportunity to have this experience on my r?sum?."
Now 23, Pettiette is about to leave the Marines, and he wants to pick up his original path of becoming a firefighter.
To help him in his quest, the City of Carlsbad Fire Department teamed with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Boots in Business mentoring program and gave Pettiette an inside look at their operations.
Over a four-day period, Pettiette put in eight hours in fire administration and 48 hours at a fire station serving a 24-hour shift on an ambulance and a 24-hour shift on a fire engine. He bunked with our firefighter/paramedics at fire station 1 on Carlsbad Village Drive and accompanied our emergency crews on calls.
Battalion Chief Mike Calderwood, who oversees the Fire Department's involvement in the chamber's Boots in Business program, speaks highly of the military mentoring initiative.
"Boots in Business is a great program," Calderwood said. "We're honored that the Chamber of Commerce has allowed us to be a part of this and help active military service members transition to business and the work place."
Pettiette was the second service member the City of Carlsbad Fire Department has mentored.
"The goal is to give him as broad a view of our operations as possible," Calderwood said, "to show him what being a member of a fire department entails, not just seeing a fire, but seeing the administration side, the preparation, as well as seeing the lifesaving and firefighting sides."
Pettiette, who hails from Phoenix, is an impressive young man. Our firefighters were proud to show him what goes into our everyday emergency operations.
"Everybody was willing to answer my questions," Pettiette said about his stay with us. "Even a firefighter coming off a 24-hour shift was willing to help. The camaraderie is amazing."
His first shift was with our fire administration team, where he shadowed Division Chief Chris Heiser and attended planning meetings to get a feel for the preparation that goes into giving our firefighters the best possible tools when they go into the field.
"We had a meeting that showed GIS (geographic information system) images of the city," Pettiette said. "I saw the new streets and they talked about how to get the fire engines into places that had difficult access.
"It was really interesting," he added. "I had no idea that so much planning went into fighting a fire."
He also got a first-hand look at actual operations during his time with an ambulance and fire engine crew.
As part of the mentoring program, Pettiette also spent two weeks at Tri-City Medical Center, where he got a close-up look at their emergency operations.
Pettiette received lifesaving training in the Marine Corps, to prepare him in case a fellow Marine was hurt. He said he felt fortunate that during his four-year service, which included a year in Afghanistan, he didn't have to apply that training.
He said he appreciated the opportunity that the chamber's Boots in Business program gave him, and all of us with the City of Carlsbad were glad to be part of it. He said he hopes that the mentoring program will help give him an edge when he applies for a job in emergency services.
"The field is very competitive," Pettiette said. "This program helps me to ensure that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and it gives me the opportunity to have this experience on my r?sum?."