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5 minutes with … a volunteer firefighter

Timekeeper: Pete Fowler
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado

Name: Thomas Maddalone

Age: 27

Occupation: Electric Lineworker and Volunteer Firefighter



Birth place: Aspen

When did you move to Garfield County and why? 1999, family relocated from the Basalt area.



First job you’ve ever had? Mowing neighbors’ lawns.

The best job? Electric Lineworker for Holy Cross Energy.

When did you become a volunteer firefighter? The moment I turned 18.

Why? Family Tradition. I’m a third-generation firefighter

What kind of time commitment is it? On call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

What do you like about it? Helping out the community in which I live.

What’s the most challenging thing about it? The balance between family time and firefighting.

Ever been called out to anything really scary? If so, what call was that? Anything that deals with traffic on the interstate ” especially during the winter months when the road is really icy and people don’t slow down.

What have you learned from being a firefighter? Facing challenges that make me become a better person.

What do you do for work when you’re not volunteering? Work for Holy Cross Energy.

What do you like to do in your spare time? What spare time? Snowmobile.

Best vacation you’ve ever taken? Honeymoon in Hawaii.

Greatest accomplishment: Becoming Captain of the Fire Dept. at the age of 27.

Ever had a book, movie or news event change your life? 9-11.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received, or a cliche to live by? You only live once.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Firefighter.

If you watched three TV channels, which three would you watch? 9News, Outdoor Channel, History Channel.

Any tattoos? No.

If you could invite any three people to dinner, who would they be, what would you serve and what would you talk about? I would invite my grandpa, Thomas Maddalone, who passed away a few years ago, and I would just catch up on things and tell him about my accomplishments, I think he would be proud of what I have become. Being a fellow Firefighter himself.

What’s the greatest invention of all time? Electricity.

Favorites

Movie: Ladder 49

Breakfast cereal: Cheerios

Food: Steak

Place in Garfield County: East Divide Creek

Sport to watch: Snowmobiling


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