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This month’s featured volunteer firefighter is Gregg Voigt. Gregg has been a member of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department for the past 20 years and is one of the first members of his family that he knows of to serve as a firefighter. From a young age, Gregg knew that he wanted to be a firefighter. During his childhood, Gregg had to extinguish a lawn mower fire at his grandparent’s farm. After the fire was contained, seeing the look of relief and appreciation on his grandparents’ faces showed Gregg that being a firefighter was going to be a part of his future and would fit well with his disposition. When asked what Gregg thinks are important qualities for a firefighter to possess, he said “integrity, dedication, good communication skills, fast and sound decision-making skills and the ability to remain calm in stressful and chaotic situations.” Gregg is an active member of the department, helping with all of the fundraising activities, Toys For Tots, delivering food to the food pantry and those in need during the holidays and has led Fire Prevention Week presentations to Avon students. Gregg knows how important Fire Prevention Week is as the firefighters teach younger students how to stay safe and what to do in case of an actual fire. For Gregg, a firefighter’s most important duty is to “protect the people and property of the community from any sort of disaster.” Gregg currently serves as 3rd Assistant Chief and has held that position for several years. Before being voted into his current position, Gregg served as truck foreman. Beyond being a firefighter, Gregg makes the Avon community a safer place by driving for the Avon Ambulance Department. As a firefighter who has seen an unfortunate number of accidents and tragedies, being a firefighter has definitely influenced his perspective on life and family. Gregg knows to appreciate the people that he has in his life. It also makes him more mindful of potentially dangerous situations that come across his daily path. Even though it probably has a tendency to annoy his kids, Gregg makes sure to point out potentially dangerous situations to them often in order to help make them more aware of the possibilities. When it comes to firefighter training, Gregg attends every training that he can. He feels that it is always a good thing to learn new skills or even just refresh the firefighting skill set that he already has. Gregg has taken the South Dakota Firefighter 1 & 2 certifications, is South Dakota Wildland Fire certified, CPR and First Aid certified, has taken an Emergency Vehicle Operations course and has completed many National Incident Management courses. One thing that Gregg mentions that people may not take the time to realize is that as a volunteer firefighter, they are on call 24/7. For Gregg, the thought of a potential 911 call is always in the back of his mind and he plans many aspects of his life around it. He has clothes laid out when he goes to bed, just in case a call comes in the middle of the night that way he can respond quicker. If he is working in the field, Gregg makes sure to have a vehicle with him that way he is able to respond if there is a call. Gregg is married to his wonderful wife, Christena, and the couple have five children Macy (17), Jordyn (15), Brille (13), Tyson (9) and Riggs (3). Gregg’s entire family is very supportive of him being a volunteer firefighter. They all know that no matter what when the pager goes off, he has to go. Gregg works for the Avon School District as the Head of Maintenance and also farms just east of Avon. In his free-time, Gregg enjoys attending his kids’ sporting events, hunting and fixing or building things in his shop. Thank you, Gregg, for your dedication and service to the Avon community.