Page 8 - Mid Valley Times 2-20-20 E-edition

Thursday, February 20, 2020 | A8 | Mid Valley TiMes
Last week's answers
SOLIS
Continued from page A7
“I showed up dur- ing my first day as an explorer and it was a 'workout' day. It kicked my butt,” he said. “So after that first day I went home and thought to myself do I want to do this?”
He decided to stick with it and returned the next day.
“From there I fell in love with the program," he said. "I liked that we were treated as adults it was a military style environment, just what I needed at the time.”
It's been 8 years since he joined the Reedley Fire Depart- ment.
Now at 27-years- old, Solis runs the fire explorer program, and reflecting back on his life, he said the ups and downs have been worth it.
"I have been running it [the fire explorer pro- gram] for five years,” he said. “It’s taught me to have patience with people, different people learn in different ways, some of our explor- ers will pick it up right away, others it takes more time."
When he’s not vol- unteering his time with
the fire department or working with new fire explorers, Solis works as a correctional officer for the state of Califor- nia.
“It’s a different en- vironment there; I deal with criminals, from the lowest level crime to the highest crime,” he said.
“We intake a lot of in- mates from county jail and we process them, endorse them to differ- ent prisons.”
“A lot of people say we are locked up just like they are, we are in there for 8 hours a day,” he continued. “Sometimes 16 hours a day, but we get to come home.”
Responding to fire calls on his days off is just the break he needs from the prison envi- ronment he experiences at work.
“I was born and raised here, I know this town by memory, inside and out,” he said. “I al- ways thought to myself how rewarding of a ca- reer this is and helping my community."
For more informa- tion on Reedley Fire Department's fire ex- plorer program visit, reedley.com//depart- ments/fire_department/ fire_explorer, or stop by the fire station at 1060 D St. in Reedley.
Have a story idea?
Call Juanita Adame (559) 875-2511
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