As a child, Garren Smith attended a firefighter training with his father. He and his family watched firefighters practice putting out flames on a burning house, leaving him with what he describes as a “core memory.”
Smith, who grew up in Rochester, Washington, watched his father work as a firefighter and took an interest in the field.
Now a firefighter with the Keizer Fire District, Smith has been recognized as the district’s Rookie of the Year.
The award winner is chosen by an anonymous vote of the district’s staff and volunteers. Other award winners announced earlier this year include Joe Hiller as Firefighter of the Year, Ashley Mas as EMT of the Year, William Meadows as Volunteer Firefighter of the Year and Matt Dryden as Employee of the Year.
Presenting the award, Chief Ryan Russell said coworkers describe Smith as “always willing to help, no matter the task and always with a positive attitude.”
Russell said Smith brings “a solid set” of firefighting skills, as well as consistency.
“He shows up ready to work, ready to learn and ready to contribute,” Russell said.
Smith said the award indicates that he’s doing well representing the district, his family name and those he works with on his shifts.
“It’s not just me, you know, doing the right thing,” Smith said. “It’s everybody else doing the right thing and making me look good, too.”
Smith moved to the Salem area to attend Chemeketa Community College’s fire program and began volunteering at the Keizer district in 2023 as a student. He volunteered for about nine months, and after moving back to Washington for two months, returned to the district as a paid employee.
Smith recently earned his paramedic license after working at the fire district as both a firefighter and EMT. He initially joined the district with the intention of solely working as a firefighter, but became a paramedic at the encouragement of others in the district.
Smith is drawn to the challenge of firefighting, as well as to improvising and the need to “make plans on the fly.”
“You never know what to expect when you come in here,” Smith said. “People are calling 911 for all kinds of reasons, and people are having all kinds of emergencies.”
He also enjoys the team aspect as well – the “little jokes” and camaraderie of the crew.
“Especially with some of the things we have to do, you know, see every day and work on every day, it’s a lot easier to do this job and kind of get through those things when you’re getting through them together,” Smith said.
Smith said there is no single experience that illustrates why he enjoys his job. It’s more about everyday moments, he said.
“It’s honestly mostly just a culmination of all the great things I’ve experienced working with the people here,” Smith said.
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