Firefighter Campbell and officer DeGuilio honored by VFW

Firefighter Campbell ?and officer DeGuilio honored tonight ?by VFW|

The Veterans of Foreign Wars will honor two Valley first responders at a dinner tonight, Jan. 16, at the Veterans Building. Jason Campbell will be named Firefighter of the Year, and Nicolas DeGuilio is the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Congressman Mike Thompson will present the awards.

“This program helps put a face on people so the public can see who their first responders are,” Post Commander Dan Parker said. The nationwide VFW recognition program promotes good relationships between communities and police and fire departments. The nominated officers will be eligible for recognition at the VFW district level, which encompasses 20 posts and six counties. The next recognition level is a statewide competition and, ultimately, there is the national gold medal award.

“For me, it is so rewarding,” Campbell said about working in the Sonoma Valley Fire Rescue Authority. “You feel like you make a difference. You’re responding when people are most in need of help and you can help them out.”

Campbell is a paramedic and firefighter stationed at the Valley of the Moon fire station on Highway 12 at Boyes Boulevard. He has been serving as a full-time first responder for five years. “My first day was Oct. 14, 2009,” the 32-year-old says with a boyish grin. “It was a life-long goal and it felt great.”

Campbell moved to Sonoma from Southern California when he was 12, and attended Altimira and Sonoma Valley High School. He worked for his father’s rental-equipment company and starting taking fire-training classes at Santa Rosa Junior College.

“I was interested in firefighting ever since I was a little boy. I remember firefighters coming to our school and talking to the kids.”

In 2005, he completed the Firefighter 1/EMT academy at Yuba Community College and received his FFI certificate.

The following year he attended Sonoma Valley Fire Rescue’s volunteer training academy and began volunteering with the department as a firefighter/EMT, and worked part time as part of the ambulance staff at Infineon Raceway.

While still a volunteer, he went to SRJC and trained to become a certified paramedic, completing the course in July 2009, and three months later was hired fulltime.

“It’s pretty competitive getting a job as a firefighter,” Campbell said, estimating that only two out of 10 volunteers who hope to become professional firefighters actually get the opportunity.

“We are very proud of Jason,” Chief Mark Freeman said. “He is one of those guys that started as a volunteer and made it into a career. He’s a great guy and a very good paramedic and firefighter. He’s always giving back and embodies community spirit. He’s a great addition to our organization.”

Campbell said he thinks living in the community where he works brings an added dimension to the job. “It was great to get hired in the place where I live, it makes me appreciate it that much more.” He and his wife Sharna have three children, Jackson, 7, Nate, 4, and Shane, 1. When he works his 48-hour shift at the firehouse, Sharna will sometimes bring the boys by to say hi to Dad.

“I live in this community, and I want to help out,” Campbell said. When he is off duty he wears the same pager the volunteers do, and will almost always respond to a fire.

He has also gone out on “strike teams” to fight wildfires elsewhere in the state when more manpower is needed. He has fought wild fires in Butte County, San Diego and Los Angeles.

“This is a huge honor for me,” he about receiving the VFW recognition. “And it’s a big deal for our department.”

Campbell is now very active in training new firefighter volunteers, work that is very important to him, as that’s how he started out. He plays in a community basketball league, snowboards and enjoys family camping trips.

“Being a firefighter and living in Sonoma, sometimes you see people afterwards. Sometimes you’ll see someone at Safeway and they’ll come up to you and say, ‘Hey, you guys helped me out and I want to thank you for that.’”

And for Campbell, that’s what it’s all about.

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(Editor’s note: There will be a story about Nick DeGuilio online and in print on Jan. 20.)

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