Willard Coles , April 6, 2018 and April 21, 2018

In an interview with Alicia Martin-Cowger on April 6, 2018, Willard Coles discusses his career with the Boise Fire Department from 1972-1997. Topics covered in the interview include: helping his dad and Wilder Volunteer Firemen train as a child; getting caught in a large fire in the Boise Foothills; the training he went through during the hiring process; the practical jokes the stations played on each other; the transition from fire boxes to a dispatch center; how promotions worked; helping open Station Ten; helping people on non-fire calls; how the technology and culture have changed since he became a firefighter; bringing women into the department; and fires at the Eastman Building and Idaho State Penitentiary.

In a second interview with Gaby Thomason on April 21, 2018, Willard Coles continues discussing his career with the Boise Fire Department. He describes the changes to the annual fitness requirements in the 1990s, practical jokes including a smoke bomb at Station Four, using codes to track activities, Fire Prevention Training, how Boise has developed since the 1970s, the camaraderie he felt with the other firemen, the development of the paramedic program in Ada County, and balancing his work and home life.