By Michael Watkins

Photo by Paul Marlow, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
On call - Rockwell Collins Senior Mechanical Technician Gary Prior was recognized recently as a Rockwell Collins Good Citizenship finalist for his volunteer work with the Center Point Fire Department.

Karen Prior is all too familiar with the lengths and degrees her husband goes to for his volunteer duties with the Center Point Fire and Rescue Department.

A Business Integration Analyst in e-Business at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, she has witnessed the late-night house fire alarms and weekend car accidents that often require him to drop everything and speed to the scene to lend a hand, and sometimes help save a life.

His dedication to such a vital service in this community of 4,000, located about 14 miles north of Cedar Rapids, is what prompted Karen to nominate her husband - Rockwell Collins Senior Mechanical Technician Gary Prior - for our company's 2008 Good Citizenship Award.

"Many times, our community volunteers and their hard work go unacknowledged, and this forum gave me an opportunity to let Gary know how much he's appreciated," said Karen. "I say this not as his wife and mother of his children, but as a member of the community he serves."

Although Gary didn't grow up wanting to be a fireman, he knew he wanted to do something that would allow him to help others. But, instead of saving lives on land, he envisioned rescuing people on water.

"I actually wanted to be a member of the Coast Guard," said Gary, a five-year veteran of the fire department in Center Point. "Both firefighters and Coast Guard members help people and save lives, and that's what's most important."

Community involvement
Raised with five sisters and four brothers, Gary and his siblings spent a lot of time helping their parents, and running between school and sporting events. "We didn't have much time for community service," he recalled.

That's one reason Gary quickly became involved with the local chapter of the Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) when he and Karen moved from Davenport, Iowa, to Center Point more than 20 years ago. But, when he "aged out" of the organization upon his 41st birthday, he found himself wanting to remain active in the community.

When a member of the local volunteer fire department approached him about joining, he knew it was an opportunity to touch - and save - many lives.

"We run about 160 calls each year," said Gary, noting that most fire departments in Iowa towns operate with volunteer firefighters. "Some months and seasons are busier than others, depending on the weather.

"At Christmastime, we get more stress-related calls, and in the spring, when everyone is getting excited about the warmer temperatures, we tend to get more emergency calls for car wrecks," he continued. "If we can keep it to about three calls each week, that's very manageable, especially with all of us being volunteers."

Because of the nature of his fire and rescue work, Gary, who also is a member of the Rockwell Collins Emergency Response Team, must keep his skills and certifications sharp and current.

Each year, he goes through basic training and re-certification for first-aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Jaws of Life, and training to continue driving a fire engine and operating the water pumps. He also is nationally certified with Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 designations, and is HAZMAT (hazardous materials) certified.

"We perform all rescue functions from putting out structure and grass fires, to being first respondents for choking, injury and car accidents - the calls we receive most often," said Gary, who has been with Rockwell Collins for 21 years. "It's always most difficult when we lose a life in a fire or car wreck, but the feeling I get from helping someone in need far outweighs the few losses we have."

Because he is on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are times when Gary has to answer a call on his pager during the work day. However, he often is able to respond only to the most dramatic and largest rescue calls because of the distance and travel time.

In fact, in his five years as a volunteer, he's actually only had to leave work twice to answer a call - once for a large barn fire and another time for a house fire. He also has answered a few calls for interstate accidents on his drive home from work.

A heart of gold
No matter the time of day or circumstance of the call, Gary has the support of his manager and his entire department to leave as needed. His team members are very proud of the selfless work he and the other 24 volunteer firefighters perform.

"The vast majority of his calls are at night when he is away from work, but there has never been an issue because we recognize the contribution he is making outside of work," said Joe Tchon, senior engineering manager in Heads Down Displays and Gary's supervisor. "Many times, volunteers in the community go unrecognized for the work they put in, and what most people don't understand is that it goes well beyond being on-call 24/7."

Gary's devotion to helping others is what continues to drive the fire and rescue department in a positive direction - and his contributions are appreciated within the organization by his fellow volunteers.

"Gary keeps us moving forward and has a heart of gold," said Center Point Fire Chief Doug Felton. "He is such a caring person that it's evident how much he feels when he's helping people in need. He goes to great lengths to help everyone he can. He's definitely a great asset to the department."

While Prior is proud of the contributions he makes through his volunteer work, he's equally proud to work for a company that not only supports it, but also recognizes it.

"My group has shown me tremendous support and been behind me 100 percent, and it makes me extremely happy that Rockwell Collins - a company and people I've respected for many years - also respects me," said Prior, who at 47 is in excellent shape and plans to continue volunteering as long as he is physically able.

"It's a huge task for someone who volunteers and spends lots of time giving of themselves, so to know your employer and team members appreciate that tremendous amount of personal time is fantastic," he concluded.

- Michael Watkins is a freelance writer.