2009 Firefighter of the Year

It is with great honor that I nominate Michael Menlove for 2009 IAFF Local 149 Firefighter of the Year. Mike’s devotion and service to the citizens of Boise, the Fire Department, Local 149, and his brothers and sisters started many years prior to 2009, and will continue into the future.

Mike holds the rank of Senior Firefighter, and serves on the Senior Firefighter test committee. He has also been an instructor for the Drivers Academy, imparting his knowledge unto the next generation of drivers. He is sought after for his advice by fellow drivers and those interested in promoting to Senior Firefighter. Mike is also a member of the Hazardous Materials Team.

In the past year, Mike served on both the Safety and Grievance Committees. He left those committees only to accept a new position on the Local’s Executive Board. Mike also served as a delegate to the Professional Firefighters of Idaho, and as a Station Steward at Station 4. He volunteered to shadow a member of the local news media at the first Fire Ops 101 held this past summer. Mike is also active in the Boise Firefighters PAC, helping to ‘Get out the Vote’ by making telephone calls on Election Day, urging citizens exercise their right to vote. He also plays hockey on the Fire Dept hockey team, and is the team’s coordinator.

Mike is Local 149’s Muscular Dystrophy Association Chairman. As chairman, Mike coordinated the annual Fill the Boot campaign, and personally supervised one of the two collection sites. Mike makes it a point to attend MDA summer camp every year. He coordinated participation in the annual MDA lockup and the MDA Labor Day telethon.

Perhaps Mike’s greatest achievement during the last year has been his involvement with the Boise Firefighter’s Pipes and Drums. Mike has done more to promote the City of Boise, The Fire Department, and IAFF Local 149 than most realize. His dedication to learning and mastering one of the most difficult musical instruments ever invented includes weekly band practice for both our Pipes and Drums, and The City of Trees Pipes and Drums, of which he is also a member. There is also weekly private lessons, and daily practice. Anyone who has worked at Station 4 on A shift has heard Mike out in the rig room. Mike became our band’s Pipe Major. The Pipe Major is the leader of the band, and to be called Pipe Major is a great honor, an honor Mike deserves. To improve himself, Mike attended the “Keeping the Tradition Alive” pipes and drums symposium hosted by the Lewisville, Texas Fire Dept. Mike has developed relationships with the other Fire Dept pipe bands in the state, and was asked to head up a statewide “Drums and Pipes”. Mike represented Boise Fire and Local 149 at the 2009 IAFF Fallen Firefighters Memorial service in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

On May 10^th, 2009, Brother Firefighter and Piper Scott Doyle of Montgomery County, Maryland was injured while BASE jumping in Twin Falls. I mentioned him to Mike after band practice one day, and suggested our band visit him at St Alphonsus. By the afternoon of the next day, Mike had arranged a fundraiser to help transport Scott back to Maryland to be with his family. Members of the City of Trees Pipes and Drums, the Boise Highlanders, The Boise Police Pipes and Drums, and the Meridian Fire Department Pipes and Drums joined the Boise Firefighters Pipes and Drums, and with help from other Boise, Meridian and Eagle firefighters, raised over $2700 while playing in downtown Boise in Pub Crawl fashion. Unfortunately, Brother Doyle succumbed to his injuries this past November. Mike traveled to Maryland, representing Local 149 and the City of Boise, and played at Brother Doyle’s memorial service.

Due largely in part to Mike’s efforts and the relationships he has nurtured, the Boise Firefighters Pipes and Drums have become known across the country, being asked to join the National Fallen Firefighters Pipes and Drums, and being invited to march in the St Patrick’s Day parade in Savannah, Georgia, the second largest St Patrick’s Day event in the country. Mike also has a part in organizing the first Boise Fire Pipes and Drums Academy, to be held this June.

Mike does not do things for recognition. He does things because he enjoys them or because it is the right thing to do. Mike always treats people with respect, and even though he is a busy person, there is one thing that is always his first priority. Mike is also a wonderful Father, and his children always come first.