Criminology Alum Fights Two ‘Lifetime’ Fires in the Past Two Years
Jimmy Johnson ’06 grew up in Klamath Falls but his family settled in Medford at age ten and he proceeded to graduate from North Medford HS in 2000. Initially, he did not know what he wanted for a career but being that he came from a family with law enforcement ties, including his father, who was an Oregon State Police (OSP) officer, he began to take criminal justice courses at Rogue Community College (RCC). In 2001, he accepted an offer from the Jacksonville Fire Department (JVFD) to become a volunteer in exchange for them paying for tuition at RCC.
By 2002, Jimmy transferred to SOU and continued his criminal justice course program while he volunteered with JVFD. While at SOU, he served as Secretary for the Criminology Club and loved the coursework in his program. “The criminology department was a close-knit program between faculty and students. We did numerous field trips to places like Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, CA, as well as many trips regionally to a variety of city, county and state law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Jimmy had numerous professors who he felt were great mentors, such as Lee Ayers, who was his standout advisor and department chair at SOU. He also cited Marnie Rivera and Lore Rutz-Burri as engaging teachers who challenged students but were always open for discussions, advice and mentoring. While he was a student and still volunteering with JVFD, he secured a seasonal part-time job with the Ashland Police Department (APD) on park patrol, enforcing city ordinances and educating people about safety. His senior year he got an internship with OSP in Central Point, doing ride alongs with various departments, including an arson detective. He graduated in 2006 with his bachelor of science degree in criminology and was in the Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society for academic achievement.
Immediately after graduation while continuing to volunteer with JVFD, he found a seasonal part-time paid position with the Applegate Fire Department. And with the continued encouragement from Lee Ayers, he entered graduate school at Boston University. This was a year-around, full-time, predominately on-line experience. He earned his master of science degree in criminal justice in 2008.
While he was applying with various police agencies, Jimmy became an ER Tech with Rogue Regional Medical Center and also began volunteering with Jackson County Fire District Five (JCFD 5), part of the regional system of fire fighting that covers around 115 square miles of the county. Volunteers go through the same standards of rigorous training and certifications and become an integral part of the fire fighting team. “The camaraderie is just great between career fire fighters and volunteers. We share the same intense training and the full-time folks really appreciate what they add to the team that goes into battle,” he added.
In 2013, Jimmy was hired by JCFD 5 as a full-time fire fighter. “When there is a 911 call, fire fighters are a welcome relief for folks who need help in emergency situations. Law enforcement is a little different and after I got a taste of that with the APD, I found that I was better suited for the firefighting side of things rather than being a law enforcement officer; even as much as I respect those officers,” he said. He was promoted to Engineer in 2014 and orchestrates critical aspects of firefighting on missions.
In firefighting, personnel will sometimes be involved in such a large fire they consider it to be a ‘lifetime’ fire. Unfortunately, Jimmy has fought two of those fires in the past two years: The 2018 Camp Fire that decimated the small town of Paradise, California, and the recent Almeda Fire that burned over 2,300 homes and dozens of businesses from north Ashland to the south Medford city limits. “With the red flag warning for the combination of heat, low humidity and high winds, we knew we could be busy September eighth but we had no idea that we would be fighting a fire that ended up being ten miles long and two miles wide,” he said.
He appreciates his SOU experience and what it has done to help him in life. “My time on campus was one of the best times of my life. Whether it was doing homework together in the Stevenson Union or going on field trips with our program, the camaraderie, the small class sizes in a small town and the professionalism and caring from some great teachers, all made it a life changer for me,” said Jimmy.
Learn more: Jackson County Fire District No. 5