By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Fire Department engineer Jacob Younger has been named the First Responder of the Month for May.
The First Responder of the Month honor is sponsored by PrairieStar Health Center and Eagle Media. Younger also received a gift bag from Smith’s Market.
Younger, an engineer with the Hutchinson Fire Department, said the recognition is appreciated, even though it is not something he seeks out.
“I think it’s a cool thing that you guys are willing to do, just give appreciation to people that work in the city,” Younger said. “People say thank you to us all the time, but it’s nice to have people come out and do that kind of stuff.”
Younger said he sees service as part of the job, but also as part of being a good person.
“I don’t think thank you is necessary, because I kind of just think our job is just being a human, just living by the golden rule,” Younger said.
Younger was previously recognized in September after helping save a woman’s life while he was on vacation at Epcot in Florida. Younger was in line for a ride when he saw an older woman collapse. Trained as both a firefighter and EMT, Younger checked on the woman, found she had no pulse and began CPR until emergency crews arrived.
He later learned the woman survived and walked out of the hospital.
“I think it’s just as simple as what they teach you in elementary school, live by the golden rule, do unto others as you want done to yourself,” Younger said. “If I was that lady in that situation, I’d want somebody to step up and try to help me too. I don’t think it’s so much the job. It’s more of just being a good human and doing the right thing.”
Younger has been a full-time firefighter for four years and has volunteered with Reno County Fire District 3 since 2021. He said he did not grow up with family members in the fire service, but found the profession after looking for a job that would be different every day.
“This job kind of just checked that box, and I pursued it and fell in love with it,” Younger said.
Younger said one of the most rewarding parts of the job is being able to see the difference firefighters make. He recently went to western Kansas with another Hutchinson firefighter to help battle wildfires in Meade County. While there, Younger said they helped save cattle and kept a house from catching fire.
“You know you’re making a direct impact to these places and the things that they own,” Younger said. “There’s a level of satisfaction there, knowing that you’re protecting something local and taking care of people, for me, the people that raised me, because I grew up here my whole life.”
Younger said being recognized by the community means a lot because first responders spend so much of their lives serving others.
“It’s not something that we want, but it’s nice to know that the community that you spend a third of your year protecting is appreciative of it,” Younger said. “We’re there for the people we work for, and they’re back there for us.”
For those considering a career as a firefighter or first responder, Younger said the job is challenging, but rewarding.
“If you’re looking for something that will challenge you physically and mentally every day, and challenge you to be a better person, you need a job that’s different every day,” Younger said. “You know that you’re going to make a positive impact every day you show up to work in your local community.”
