Renn Ross, September 9, 2010 and June 20, 2018

In an interview with Alicia Martin-Cowger on September 9, 2010, Renn Ross discusses his career with the Boise Fire Department. Ross was hired in 1978; he served as chief from 1992 until his retirement in 2007. Topics discussed in the interview: beginning his career with BLM as a wildland firefighter and volunteer firefighter with the Star Fire District; the hiring process; the push to diversify the department; new recruit training; the daily routine at the fire station; the first fire he worked on at BFD; fire fighting tactics; dealing with medical calls; his decision to increase medial training from EMT to paramedic levels; reasons for not combining ambulance services with fire services; getting promoted to fire inspector; becoming fire chief and his goals while in the position; his reflection on some of the issues he dealt with; and his decision to retire.

In his interview with Gaby Thomason on June 20, 2018, Renn Ross, who served as a Boise firefighter, offered his memories of serving from the years 1978-2007. In that time, Ross served as a firefighter, captain in fire prevention, fire marshal, deputy chief of operations, interim fire chief, and fire chief. After retiring from the Boise Fire Department in 2007, he became the chief at Whitney Fire District.Ross spoke on the following topics: His family’s influence on the Star Fire District; the work he did with fire prevention including arson cases and code enforcement; his work as fire marshal, including communications with developers and city government; his relationship with previous fire chiefs and how they influenced his leadership style; his experiencing teaching children fire prevention and speaking to college students about the organizational structure of the fire department; his memories of the Gala for the department’s 100th birthday; and the merging of the Whitney Fire Department with the Boise Fire Department.