
Patrick Buchnowski – The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
What is the best job to have?
For Brennan Mitchell, being a fire captain for the West Hills Regional Fire Department is the ultimate profession.
“It’s the best job in the world,” he said. “Being out in the community helping people on their worst day is what drives me.”
Mitchell, a 2018 Ferndale Area High School graduate, is a full-time fire captain. He works alongside Chief Kevin Schrock as the only full-time firefighters on the payroll.
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Mitchell decided his career path early in life. Growing up in Dale Borough, Mitchell’s father and grandfather were both in the volunteer fire service.
School work and sports took up much of Mitchell’s time. After graduating from high school, he joined the fire company. He is a certified emergency medical technician.
Mitchell and his colleagues respond to house fires, car wrecks, medical emergencies and other dangers. Some calls stay with you, he said.
“Last year, I pulled my friend out of a fire,” he said. “He didn’t make it.”
Fire broke out July 26, 2023, at a house on Fayette Street in Westmont Borough. Grant Jeanjaquet, 22, died at the scene from smoke inhalation. Vindemiatrix Kohan, 14, died in the hospital a week later.
“You hold it close to you,” Mitchell said. “You hold it in. You learn from the experience. … It’s really humbling how quickly things can happen. You learn how important the little things truly are.”
West Hills Regional Fire Department operates with fire stations in Westmont, Brownstown and Ferndale boroughs.
“My experience has increased just because of the amount of calls we’ve been running lately,” he said.
The fire department responded to 418 calls in 2021, 440 calls in 2022 and 478 calls in 2023. It expects to top 500 calls this year, Schrock said.
The department has 41 active members. Mitchell plays an important role, Schrock said.
“He’s young and he’s driven,” Schrock said. “He continues to move up through the ranks.”
Mitchell hopes to move into a full-time position with a bigger fire department. For now, he is content playing his role in keeping his community safe.
“I’m trying to reach the highest professional level for a firefighter,” he said, “because, like I said, it’s the best job in the world.”
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