Chris Ickes, local volunteer firefighter for Bay District has wanted to be a professional firefighter for as long as he can remember. On Sunday, Oct. 4, Ickes turned his dreams into reality. The young firefighter shipped out to Iraq to begin his one year contract with Wackenhut Securities as a firefighter.
Ickes has been a volunteer with Bay District for the past seven years, but is looking forward to this professional experience. “My father was a paid firefighter on base and I have always wanted to do the same thing. I have applied for a base position, but have not been accepted,” said Ickes in a recent interview.
When asked about going into a war zone to fight fires, Ickes said, “We’ll have people protecting us, but I am a bit nervous about being in a combat zone.”
When his year is over, Ickes hopes to be able to renew his contract, but if not he intends to reapply to the base for a paid position. “I am going to be a paid firefighter somewhere. I don’t really care where,” said a determined Ickes.
The division of Wackenhut for which Ickes will be working is WSI Fire and Emergency Services. The company as a whole is a provider of armed and unarmed security, paramilitary protective forces, law enforcement, fire and rescue, aviation operations and support, base operations and facility management, and training for commercial and government clients around the world.
WSI Fire and Emergency Services in Iraq is the primary emergency response capability for 20 U.S. DoD sites. At the time of this writing, Ickes does not know to which base he will be assigned. He will become part of the effort to provide the DoD with a full service support program ranging from fire prevention and safety training to fire suppression.
