City's oldest firefighter hopes to put in 50 years

Some wonder why thousands of people invest months of hope and training when the chances of becoming a Seattle firefighter are so slim.

But Ken Hoefner -- the department's oldest firefighter at age 70 -- has understood for decades.

		Seattle Fire Department
	Ken Hoefner, at age 70 the Seattle Fire Department's oldest firefighter, says, "This is a job like no other, and I still look forward to every shift."

"This is a job like no other, and I still look forward to every shift," said Hoefner, who hasn't missed a shift since 1966. "I think the department is getting better and more capable than when I first started because of all the training and equipment we didn't have before."

Hoefner grew up in Cashmere and, after serving in the Air Force, he followed his older brother to Seattle, planning for a long Boeing career. But a roommate persuaded him to apply to the Fire department.

"It was quite competitive even then," Hoefner said, recalling a few hundred other applicants. "I think right now it's even harder because there are more college graduates taking the test, and there are a lot more people taking the exam."

When Hoefner started at Station 14 on Jan. 5, 1959, firefighters weren't required to learn CPR and were decades away from the digital technology he's seen save lives. He used to ride unrestrained on the back of fire engines -- a practice that was stopped in 1984 after Seattle firefighter Mary Matthews died after falling off one.

Seattle firefighters responded to 5,398 fire calls during his first year, according to department records. In 2006, the department responded to 16,717 fire calls.

"Technology has definitely reduced our response time," Hoefner said. "And it's helped us save lives, for sure."

Hoefner recalled the day in 1966 when Capt. Harold Webb was giving him orders at a Georgetown tire company fire.

"Half a minute later, he dropped of a heart attack," he said. "I'm real confident his life could have been saved with (a defibrillator) we carry now."

In 1968, Hoefner fought a Todd Shipyard fire with Henry Gronnerud, who was electrocuted during the efforts. Hoefner believes he also could have been revived if firefighters had had defibrillators.

"The trucks get more advanced all the time," said Hoefner, who is in his 36th year at South Seattle's Station 33.

His recruiting class included Robert Swartout and Claude Harris, the department's first black firefighter. Both would go on to be Seattle fire chiefs.

Hoefner, a department driver, commutes from Kitsap County to work an average 45-hour week and goes through mandatory operational training to stay on par with the department's youngest employees.

Battalion chiefs evaluate each firefighter annually by position, checking heart rates before and after drills that emphasize the physical requirements of their jobs. Firefighters had mandatory checks of lungs, eyes, ears and blood pressure, spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said. Those checks weren't done this year but are expected to continue next year when the department shifts to a private company, she said.

"Kenny Hoefner's drive and commitment to the department and the crews is really what keeps him going," Capt. Ken Whitehair said of the department's lifetime achievement award winner. "It's very comforting to know we can go to him for advice. He's been fighting fires longer than I've been alive."

Hoefner said he wants to serve 50 years with the department before relinquishing his spot. He's got two years to go.

"I want to make sure I don't regret giving it my all," he said. "For me, the guys I work with are like a family.

"And if you do train well and get along with people, it's a very, very secure job."