Army medic returns home

Springfield Township Fire & Rescue taps into army internship program

HOLLAND – Members of the U.S. army can often find it challenging to make the transition from military to civilian life, particularly when it comes to employment. To help ease that burden, the army created an individual internship program that partners soldiers with civilian companies.

Since 2013, the army’s Career Skills Program (CSP) has helped 49,965 soldiers complete one of the 226 CSPs, and has partnered with more than 4,000 employers to deliver a 93 percent hire rate.

Springfield Township Fire & Rescue has tapped into that program, which they hope will gain the department a well-qualified firefighter and medic.

That soldier is combat medic and emergency medical technician (EMT) Army Spec. Brian Bethel, 26, who joined the army in 2021 and is scheduled to be honorably discharged in January. Currently an active duty combat medic, Bethel has been interning with his local fire department since the first week in July.

When his internship expires this month, he’ll return to his active duty station with the 144 Air Defense Artillery (ADA), 69th Brigade, at Fort Cavazos (formerly Ft. Hood) in Texas until his ETS (expiration term of service) date of Jan. 3.

“For now, this is my place of duty, and the army can check in with them (his supervisers) whenever they want to make sure I’m doing okay,” Bethel said. “It’s been so helpful to transition. I can’t thank enough to the department and to the army for allowing this to happen.”

Over the past few months, Bethel said he’s learned about the department’s work schedules, how a fire department runs and “just how good Springfield Township fire department actually is.”

He said his goal is to learn what being a firefighter and EMT/paramedic entails. He’s already experienced in dealing with trauma as a combat media, and that has helped him with his civilian firefighter training.

Bethel said the program has been very helpful because he had no idea what being in the fire service or being a civilian was like. “This was a great way for me to transition from being an active duty soldier back to a civilian, where I don’t have to show up to PT (physical training) or chow,” he quipped.

Bethel said that everyday he’s proving his worth so he can hopefully come back and work for Springfield Township, where he grew up. He graduated from Springfield High School in 2017.

In addition to on-the-job training, he is also studying to become a paramedic at Owens Community College and taking the Firefighter 1 course at Penta Career Center. The Penta course is part of its short-term firefighter certification programs. Once he is certified, he can apply to work as a civilian firefighter.

Springfield Fire Chief Jonathon Ziehr described the CSP as a “phenomenal program that we should have been doing long ago,” adding that with a shortage of firefighter/EMTs, it’s a way to attract military veterans to the department.

Ziehr admitted the program does have its challenges. Similar to a college transfer, soldiers in the CSP find that the education they receive as a medic, for instance, does not necessarily transfer to EMT or fire certification. The chief said the military, along with federal, state and local government officials, need to work collectively to resolve the issue.

Administrator Mike Hampton hopes to continue the CSP at Springfield. “We see the career skills program as a catalyst to encourage many honorable discharged soldiers to gain additional education and workplace experience during their transition to civilian life.”

Bethel, who plans to join the national guard in November, comes from a line of siblings who served in the military, and he credits his brothers with helping him choose the army.

“My oldest brother was a marine, my second oldest has been a police officer for the last 16 years, and the third oldest was in the air force for six years and going on seven years in the guard, so having that around me pushed me in that direction,” he said. “But really, I just wanted to serve my country and Springfield Township, which has been the plan all along.”

He also credits his parents for how he was raised. “I just strive to be the best person possible, and I really found helping people, the community and my country is what I love to do.

As for his entering civilian life in a few months, he said he’s prepared. “I want to come back to serve my community. I love it and it makes me happy. That’s all I’m about – coming back to my community to serve and help them. That’s all I can ask for, to help one person a day.”