The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

  • Home
  • To Know
  • To Do
  • To Ponder
  • Obituaries
  • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • More
    • Share your story
    • Submit an Event
    • Contact

What a Career!

April 16, 2014 By The Suburban Times

Jim Sharp, Fire Chief, West Pierce Fire & Rescue

When Colleen Adler started out as a 9-1-1 dispatcher at Fire Comm I doubt she had any idea where her career would take her.  She has actually made a couple of careers for herself at West Pierce Fire & Rescue.  Sadly for us it is coming to a close on April 30th.   Fortunately for Colleen this means more time with her family, especially her grandbabies.

After close to 20 years as a dispatcher with Fire Comm, Coleen decided to take on a new, and very different challenge.  “New” being the key word.  The department was looking to start an Emergency Preparedness program, and Colleen stepped up and offered to run it.  Colleen didn’t have much experience in emergency preparedness, but what she did have was an overabundance of energy and drive.  So with that, she was hired as West Pierce Fire & Rescue’s first Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.  Fire Chief Ken Sharp gave her some very vague marching orders like “go and make the community safer.”  And as they say, the rest is history.

Starting from scratch, Colleen has gone on to build an emergency preparedness program that has been recognized at both the state and national level.  Most notably, receiving an award from the White House and speaking about our programs to a panel of nationally recognized emergency management professionals in Washington D. C.  In just a few short years, Colleen has trained and mobilized hundreds of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members throughout the community.  It seems like every time I turn around I run into someone that has recently completed CERT training with West Pierce Fire & Rescue.

Colleen certainly hasn’t fallen short on that vague directive to “go out and make the community safer.”  As West Pierce Fire & Rescue’s first Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Colleen has set the bar extremely high for her successor.  The excitement, passion and energy she brings to the job everyday will be greatly missed.  Especially all those friendly reminders to get our disaster kits ready.

Enjoy your retirement Colleen!

 

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Top Stories

  • New Best Coast BBQ coming to Puyallup and Lakewood
    New Best Coast BBQ coming to Puyallup and Lakewood
  • Open Range - Old Fashioned Cowboy Film Review
    Open Range - Old Fashioned Cowboy Film Review
  • 2-Alarm Fire in Lakewood April 13
    2-Alarm Fire in Lakewood April 13
  • Walk Tacoma: Downtown Mural Walk launching on May 5
    Walk Tacoma: Downtown Mural Walk launching on May 5
  • LPD needs help solving Injury Hit and Run case
    LPD needs help solving Injury Hit and Run case

Become a better informed citizen.

Join over 30,000 readers each month and get real-local news and information direct to your inbox, Monday-Saturday.


Recent Comments

  • Barb Tope on Bacon’s Double Take: Moving
  • MARY DODSWORTH on Clover Park of Kiwanis Conservation Award 2020
  • Jerry on Open Range – Old Fashioned Cowboy Film Review
  • Joseph Boyle on Boyle’s Double Take: Moving
  • Jaynie Dillon Jones on Bacon’s Double Take: Moving

Contact Us

The Suburban Times
P.O. Box 39099
Lakewood, WA 98496

Ben Sclair, Publisher
253-312-1804

Stephen Neufeld, Marketing Executive
stephen@thesubtimes.com

Copyright © 2021 The Suburban Times • Log in • Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.