A SIMPLE SALUTE

In the service, Eric Campbell learned to ght res an eep an e e o t or anger t t rns o t those s i s o e in han a in i i ian i e as e

BY MEGAN PRICE

Time in the Service

In August of 2007, Eric Campbell was a high school graduate who was looking for a new path in life. After getting into a bit of tro ble he was rea to fin something to ground himself and felt like the military was a good choice. Speaking with a recr iter hel e him confirm that he was rea to rs e a career as a firefighter in the Air Force, and he began boot camp two months later. Eric spent six weeks in regular military training, followed by three and a half months learning extensi el abo t combating str ct re fires air ort fires an wil fires. e was also traine as an an first res on er which would come in handy in his future position at Prime. ighting fires in the ir orce ta ght ric that he has a een e e for fire re ention as well as embracing his inner adrenaline n ie. er thing abo t firefighting was s er-f n he sa s. o ’re the person running in while everyone else is r nning o t. o ’re going in there tr ing to sa e as m ch as o can. e also eroes in on fire ha ar s in e er a life an alwa s has fire re ention on his min .

While Eric was stationed in Mountain ome aho he imme iatel ha to t his fire training to goo se. he base eerience two str ct re fires an both times he was on the first ham line meaning he helped lead the initial crew han ling the fire hose to start tting o t the ames. il fires were fairl common in Idaho, and Eric spent time battling those, too. After three years, he was mo e to ill ir orce ase where he began a new challenge han ling in- ight emergencies. Large F-15 and F-16 aircraft occasionall e erience h ng ares or h ng cha an nee e to lan . hen the ares shifte o t of their hol ing osition, they could drag on the ground when the lanes lan e an catch fire. ric an his crew were ready to combat any potential ames an gi e attention if needed.

Time at Prime

Though he enjoyed his time in the military, after six years, Eric was ready to mo e on to a ci ilian career. is first tho ght was loo ing for a ob as a firefighter b t instea he st mble on a job opening at Prime that seemed to use all of his skills.

For the past year, Eric has been working as a ec rit fficer at Prime’s terminal in alt a e it . is ob s ans a ariet of tas s from hel ing ri ers fin their empty trailers to making badges to conducting drug tests. At times, he even helps shuttle drivers from the airport or hotels to the terminal if needed.

And, of course, he keeps the area secure by approving gate entries and doing yard an erimeter chec s. is ser ice training as an EMT is extremely important as a ec rit fficer too. lot of m militar medical training has transferred since we’re first ai an first res on ers ric sa s. ’ e been the first res on er on the scene an ’ e been able to se m me ical s ills for those sit ations.