Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Saratoga Fire District Captain Bill Morrison was chosen by his peers as 'Firefighter of the Year.'
Firefighter discovered SFD at age 16
By Kara Chalmers
The Saratoga Fire District's firefighters chose A-shift Capt. Bill Morrison as this year's "Firefighter of the Year," the district's most prestigious award for distinguished service.
Morrison, who is also the president of the SFD firefighters' union, has been a leader in the union's campaign to merge the SFD with the Santa Clara County Fire Department for what the union says would be better service for residents and firefighters. This campaign, which has continued for more than a year, has turned into a bitter battle with the SFD administration, which today is against such a merger.
Still, Morrison said that no matter what happens with the possible merger, he would stay with the SFD, a department he first became involved with at the age of 16.
Jason Perez, last year's recipient of the Wilbur William Worden Memorial award, presented it to Morrison during the SFD's Christmas party. The district's firefighters vote on the award, which is given to the firefighter who performs beyond the community service expected of firefighters and who also best embodies the characteristics of Capt. Worden, who was born in Saratoga in 1906.
SFD Fire Chief Ernie Kraule said he was very pleased to see Morrison's name added to the list of people who have received the award in the past.
"It's an honor to be chosen by his peers, and he's been added to a list of people that have contributed to the department," Kraule said.
According to Bob Smith, a district chief in the county fire department who lives in Saratoga and has been a close personal friend of Morrison since the two met as teenagers, Morrison's recognition symbolizes the support that many of the firefighters have for Morrison's--and the union's--cause.
"Particularly through some of the turmoil this past year, this is a reflection of the support he has from his peers in his endeavors to provide a higher level of fire delivery services to the Saratoga Fire District," Smith said. "He's always been a true professional and he's dedicated to the citizens of the Saratoga Fire District. He understands that he works for them and at every point in his career, he has put them at the top of his list, as well as the safety of his crew that he leads. He doesn't have any hidden agendas."
Morrison, 46, grew up in Saratoga, and still lives in the city with his wife, Gale, a bookkeeper, and two daughters, Stephanie, 16, a junior at Saratoga High School, and Christie, 12, a seventh-grader at Redwood Middle School. Morrison attended Saratoga schools, from elementary school through West Valley College.
Morrison became an "explorer" with the SFD in the 1970s. The explorer program, which does not exist today, was affiliated with the Boy Scouts and allowed teens to explore different careers, including fire service, Morrison said. At the time, Terry Worden, the son of W.W. Worden, was the leader of the program, according to Morrison.
Through his education in explorer program, Morrison first discovered his love of fighting fires, by watching SFD firefighters in action. Unlike other firefighters, Morrison did not come from a family of firefighters, and as a young child, he did not want to go into the field.
"I didn't know until I was 16; I never said it as a kid," Morrison said. At the earliest possible age of 18, Morrison became a volunteer firefighter with the SFD, and at 21, the district hired him full time.
As a captain, Morrison manages seven full-time firefighters, as well as any volunteers who come to help with fires, and he controls the scenes of any emergencies on his shift. Morrison is on the SFD's Disaster Preparedness Committee for Saratoga's elementary and middle schools, and he is the Fire Marshall, a position that allows him to assist Chief Kraule with plan checks for new housing and commercial developments in the city and fire code enforcement. Morrison is the SFD's safety officer, meaning that he oversees the safety of the whole department.
Although he has been a SFD firefighter for 27 years, Morrison says his ultimate goal is not to be a fire chief.
"I like staying in the line, I like fighting fires and interacting with people," he said. "I'm not at all interested in becoming a chief some day."
Morrison's experience as a firefighter has proven to be satisfying and meaningful, he said, and what he likes best is not knowing what could happen on any given day.
Steve Sporleder, who retired as a SFD captain in December, remembers when Morrison joined the explorer program.
"You could see at an early age that he was going to be a leader in the fire service, he was kind of a natural," Sporleder said. "He was a natural firefighter and he was aggressive."
Sporleder also said that as a supervisor, Morrison commands respect. "He gives accolades when needed and advice when needed, and he disciplines when needed," Sporleder said.
Engineer paramedic Beau Rahn, who has worked on Morrison's shift for the last three years, said Morrison is open-minded, easy to get along with and knowledgeable.
"Everybody would like to work under him, I feel privileged to work under him," Rahn said. "When the bell rings, that's when he puts on his game face and you know you have to go to work, but around the station, doing our daily activities, he's very easygoing and makes the day go by really well."
Rahn said he hopes he spends the rest of his career on Morrison's shift.
"Because I learn from him, also," he said. "He's just a swell guy."
Saratoga, California Since 1955
